Arts and Crafts Houses

For my third year essay, I am planning to focus on the Arts and Crafts movement, especially William Morris and his influence on it. I want to focus on his desire to embrace traditional craft practices in protest against the increasing use of machinery in design, considering how this is being echoed in the technological age we are experiencing today.

In order to broaden my understanding of the arts and crafts period, I have visited several significant properties from this period during the summer break.

First, I visited Red House in Bexley Heath. This was the only house ever built by William Morris, and when visiting, you get a sense that this was designed to be an oasis and hive of creative life. Now it is situated amongst many other houses on the outskirts of London, but when it was built Red House sat in open country.

The house was designed by Phillip Webb, with whom Morris collaborated on sketches for the house and supervised its construction. The building took a year, finishing in the early 1860s, and the house is L-shaped with two wings which meet in the hallway. It was decorating and furnishing Red House which inspired Morris to found the interior design firm Morris & Co.

Although the interior of the property has changed greatly in the years since Morris and his family lived there, I found it easy to imagine what it could have been like to live and work there, enjoying the generous layout and the extensive gardens, in which were planted flowers which inspired many of Morris’ wallpaper designs.

An example of Morris' wallpaper at Red House.

When Morris and his family were living there, there would have been abstract murals adoring many of the walls and ceilings. Some of which can still be seen such as the one above the main stair case, which highlight the eclectic taste and enthusiasm for decoration of the owner.

The drawing room at Red House, where restoration has revealed murals painted on the walls from when the Morris' lived there. It is believed that murals like thes would have covered all of the walls and the ceiling in this room.

Morris was a generous host and enjoyed having many weekend visitors at the house. Despite dreams to move Morris & Co. out of London to Bexley heath, ill health forced Morris to abandon Red House in 1865, along with his dream of establishing a community of artists who lived and worked together there, however these ideals remained central to the ethos of the Arts and Crafts movement.

What I loved most about Red House was the garden which surrounded the house. Full of plants, I could imagine spending hours exploring and enjoying watching the seasons change which would provide endless artistic inspiration. I also really enjoyed seeing the quirky remnants of the original owners, such as the painted staircase ceiling and stained-glass windows which provide a glimpse into the chaotic but inspiring experience it must have been to live there during the Morris family’s tenure.

Stained glass windows.

I also visited Kelmscott Manor in Oxfordshire, the Morris’ country retreat. Morris and his family first began visiting Kelmscott in 1871 and continued to visit the property until his death in 1896, his daughter May later returning to the house permanently.

Although modest in terms of Manors and country homes, Kelmscott is still an impressive property, set in Kelmscott village with extensive grounds, which, like at Red House were full of flowers to inspire his designs.

Kelmscott Manor from outside.

In the same way that Morris hoped Red House would be a place for artists to convene and work together, he dreamed of Kelmscott becoming a utopia for artists, men and women alike. It was here that he established much of his seminal thinking on topics such as interior design, industry, craft work and building conservation.

I found Kelmscott manor to be a really interesting home, architecturally, and I particularly enjoyed seeing the attic where small rooms are tucked away under the eaves, slowly revealing the extent of the building’s nooks and crannies.

It was also fascinating to see Jane and William Morris’ bedrooms, both decorated with linen  embroidered by Jane and May Morris. I think the thing which stood out to me most was the meticulous detail which went into decorating and furnishing the homes of the Morris family. Morris himself was committed to a life engrossed in arts and crafts and this is evident throughout the places where he lived. Despite his dreams of establishing a creative community in the coutnry coming to fruition, it is clear that he invested immense energy into surrounding his family with the best examples of craft and design from the period.

William Morris' bed covered with intricaltely detailed embroidery.

Morris & Co. fabric covering furniture at Kelmscott.

Finally, I visited Blackwell, an Arts and Crafts house overlooking Lake Windermere in the Lake District. Built by architect Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott as a holiday home for his client Sir Edward Holt, the house, completed in 1901 is an excellent example of the Art and Craft style.  Baillie Scott was one of the most influential architects of the early 20^th century and Blackwell is his most important remaining house.

Floral tapestry in the dining room. 

The Main Hall at Blackwell.

Throughout the house are examples of Arts and Crafts details including furniture designed by William Morris and tiles surrounding the fireplaces by William de Morgan. Placing great importance on south facing rooms and windows to benefit from the sun, the house has large open plan living spaces, unlike most Victorian architecture which tended to favour more compact, complex layouts. Scott used light creatively to control the atmosphere in each room.

One of the bright, light-filled bedrooms at Blackwell.

What I liked most about Blackwell was the way it payed homage to many different Arts and Crafts styles, incorporating variety of crafts from ceramics, to wood carving, to textile hangings and furniture. I also admire the way Baillie Scott was involved with all aspects of the design and furnishing of the property, viewing it as a holistic process.

Visiting these houses has given me an in-depth understanding of the Arts and Crafts movement, as well as a much greater appreciation of the work and ideals of William Morris. I feel that having been able to experience the places where he lived and worked, I am better able to picture the reasons for the popularity of the movement and analyse its success and failings in relation to modern attitudes towards traditional crafts.