As its name suggests, this museum is devoted to the life and work of William Morris (1834 -1896), the designer, craftsman, poet and political activist whose career had a revolutionary impact on the 19th Century design world. The William Morris Gallery is located in a substantial house, which was built around 1750. It was the Morris family home in the 1840's and 50's.
It now contains an internationally important collection of textiles, furniture, wallpapers, stained glass, ceramics and examples of fine printing by Morris himself and his pre-Raphaelite partners, Burne-Jones, Rossetti, Madox Brown and others, in the firm of Morris and Company.
There are also applied arts by Morris's followers in the arts and crafts movement: Ceramics by William de Murgan, furniture by Ernest Gimson and stained glass by Selwyn Image and Henry Holiday.
Morris was something of a paradox. He was considered to be among the greatest designers yet he had no formal training. He hated crowded cities yet lived in the capital. Most oddly, as a dedicated Marxist he despised the wealthy, yet it was only the wealthy who could afford his elaborate design work.
Admission is FREE
Opening Times
Wednesday - Sunday 10:00 - 17:00
Address: Lloyd Park, Forest Road, Walthamstow, London, E17 4PP
Tel: +44 (0)20 8527 3782
Nearest Underground (Tube) Station: Walthamstow Central.