William Morris Gallery

William Morris was born in 1834 at Elm house in the village of Walthamstow. Morris studied at Oxford with the intention of joining the clergy. A chance encounter with Rossetti persuaded Morris to change his studies and pursue Art instead- Morris studied architecture under GE Street and then turned to painting. It was shortly afterwards that Morris discovered his ability for design.

The William Morris Gallery was opened by Prime Minister Clement Attlee in 1950. The gallery is housed within the Morris family home, a substantial Georgian building in the heart of Walthamstow and formerly the Water House. On permanent display are fabrics with printed, woven and embroidered designs by Morris himself. There are carpets, furniture, stained glass and painted tiles designed by Morris, Edward Burne-Jones, Rossetti and Ford Maddox Brown to mention only a few.

Some of the more remarkable exhibits include a helmet and sword that Morris created for use in the Pre-Raphaelite mural at Oxford University. One of William Morris most prolific outputs was wallpaper and the original design for ‘Trellis’, his earliest wallpaper is on show. The Woodpecker Tapestry, the printings of ‘The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer’ and the Beauty and the Beast tile panels are all on display and show the attention to detail of the brilliant Morris.

William Morris’ Coffee cup and the satchel he used to carry his Socialist pamphlets give a more private glimpse at the man himself. As well as the works of William Morris, the gallery displays many pieces by Morris friend and co-workers in the Arts and Crafts Movement. William Morris died in 1896 and it was said of him ‘He died having done more work than most ten men.’