6 minute read
TO THE MANOR REBORN
following an incredible refurbishment, Kelmscott Manor, the family home of william morris, has reopened. Wildflower takes a
look inside
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words by Zoë Levey
Tothe Manor REBORN
Kelmscott Manor, the beloved country home of William Morris, the father of the Arts & Crafts movement, has reopened to the public after a £6 million upgrade. The conservation and refurbishment programme has been major, taking a total of 30 months to complete. Supported by a £4.3 million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, an additional £1.3 million was donated from the on-going Kelmscott Manor: Past, Present & Future Campaign, which continues to actively raise necessary funds to support the project. Situated in the charming village of Kelmscott located on the River Thames, near Lechlade, Kelmscott Manor was built around 1600 using mellow Cotswold stone. When William Morris first viewed Kelmscott Manor in 1871, he fell instantly in love with its unpretentious architecture, together with the history and landscape of its gentle rural environment. It encapsulated all his passions – history, nature, archaeology and romantic medievalism.
Persuaded by his wife Janey, who wanted a house more suited to his rising status, Morris initially rented the Manor with his friend and business partner, the PreRaphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti, as co-tenant. It’s well known that Rossetti was then romantically involved with Morris’s wife Janey, but in 1874 – much to Morris’s relief – Rossetti left, and Kelmscott became the Morris family’s (William, Jane and their two daughters, Jenny and May) much-loved country retreat. In Oxfordshire, he had “found the house at the very end of the village,” and he was very fond of it. Kelmscott plays a recurring role in Morris’s work and provided a sanctuary away from his myriad creative projects. A man of extraordinary talents, Morris was renowned for his unstoppable work ethic, and his mastery of a multitude of skills: architecture (his first love), an artist skilled in oils, weaver, decorator, textile artist, designer, calligrapher, printer, poet, novelist and lecturer. It was at Kelmscott that Morris formulated his views on wide-ranging subjects, not just interior design but also craft-based work, building conservation, social democracy and environmental issues. And he had an interest in politics – as a result of which he founded the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (1877), stating “I have more than ever at my heart the importance for people of living in beautiful places; I meant the sort of beauty which would be attainable by all, if people could but begin to long for it.” The Society has played a vital role in the preservation and restoration of Kelmscott. Wherever possible during the refurbishment programme, every e ort has been taken to maintain and safeguard the unique character and essence of the Manor, the original farm buildings and their natural environment. There has been no over-enthusiastic restoration of these historic buildings – a practice which Morris abhorred.
Dr Kathy Haslam, Curator of Kelmscott Manor, explains: “We have not attempted to replicate a particular moment in time in redisplaying the period rooms, but rather to recreate the spaces as they would have been known to members of the Morris family over their 67-year association with the Manor based on evidence available. Every new placement of furniture and objects, together with each new paint colour or choice of wallpaper has been informed by visual or written sources consulted during extensive research. As a result, the house feels more homelike. In addition, our new interpretation enables us to explore more people, themes and narratives than before.” Moreover, by using the wealth of vivid first-hand contemporary accounts and photographs, the interior rooms of the Manor have been redisplayed and reinterpreted to provide the visitor with a more authentic impression of how they would have been in the Morris family’s day. It’s a fascinating insight into the life of the Morris family during their time in the house.
Wallpaper has been reinstated in several rooms with each design individually printed by hand using the original blocks from the Morris & Co. archives. Many of the designs remain popular today namely ‘Fruit’ which is seen in Jane Morris’s bedroom, ‘Lily’ in William Morris’s room and ‘Daisy’ on the landing. Some of these designs, including ‘Fruit’, have recently been reimagined by designer Ben Pentreath in his new ‘Cornubia’ collection, a testimony to their timeless appeal. A new design from Morris & Co, ‘Kelmscott Tree’ by Alison Gee, is inspired by Morris’s bed curtains at Kelmscott, originally embroidered by his daughter May in 1891.
“WALLPAPER HAS BEEN REINSTATED IN SEVERAL ROOMS. SOME OF THESE DESIGNS HAVE BEEN REIMAGINED BY DESIGNER BEN PENTREATH IN HIS NEW COLLECTION”
“KELMSCOTT PLAYED A HUGE PART IN MORRIS’S LIFE. IT PROVIDED HIM WITH ENDLESS CREATIVE INSPIRATION”
An analysis of long hidden paint layers has provided clues to several of Morris’s di erent colour schemes – these have since been carefully re-mixed and the spaces repainted accordingly. Colours found at Kelmscott have partially inspired the new debut paint collection from Morris & Co, which includes a beautiful soft blue-green hue aptly named ‘Kelmscott Water’. In the house you can see furniture and objects made or collected by the Morris family or their friends. There’s a painted settle and a robust oak Gothic Revivalstyle round table designed by the architect Philip Webb for the Morris’s first home Red House, before being brought to Kelmscott. Several artworks can be viewed, notably Rossetti’s painting ‘The Blue Silk Dress’ (1868), widely regarded as the most iconic portrait of Morris’s wife, Janey. Kelmscott played a huge part in Morris’s life. It provided him with endless creative inspiration and had a profound influence on his thinking and designs. Many of his most popular designs such as Strawberry Thief were directly inspired by the garden at Kelmscott, whilst his seminal literary work News from Nowhere, published in 1890, includes beautiful, perceptive descriptions of the house and its surroundings. The Kelmscott Press edition (1893) features the most famous illustration of the Manor as its frontispiece. After Morris’s death in 1896, his family continued to live at Kelmscott. In 1938 it was left to Oxford University, but in 1962 the University gave up the bequest and ownership passed to the Society of Antiquaries of London, which undertook specialist repairs on the building to save it from collapse.
The recent renovation project is evidence of the Society’s continued commitment to maintaining the fabric of Kelmscott’s historic buildings and collections, whilst keeping alive the conservation ethos pioneered by Morris. John Lewis, General Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries of London, said: “William Morris’s love of history and the physical remains of the past profoundly influenced his creativity. Our revitalised Kelmscott will explore and share the history of the estate and house through the core disciplines of the Society and through the eyes of William Morris as an Antiquary and Fellow of our Society. “The recent major refurbishment project and the on-going Kelmscott Manor: Past Present & Future Campaign has ensured that William Morris’s beloved “heaven on earth” is preserved for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations.”
Kelmscott Manor is open to visitors. Kelmscott Manor, Kelmscott, Lechlade GL7 3HJ. Tel: 01367 252486. For details, visit sal.org.uk/kelmscott-manor
