Collection: Kelmscott House

Collection-level records:

• Collection overview (Cornucopia)

  Kelmscott House Collections

  Kelmscott Manor was left to the Society of Antiquaries by William Morris’s daughter May in her will of 1929, naming the Society as her residuary legatee. Her sister Jenny died in 1935, leaving her residuary estate to the Society to form the William and Jane Morris Fund. in 1962, the Society became residuary legatee of the entire Morris estate. The collections consist of about 550 items of furniture, textiles, ceramics and pictures. Some items were in the house when it was leased by Morris in 1871, some were brought to the Manor by May Morris before she died in 1938 and some items were brought to and acquired by the Manor following its restoration in the 1960s. Furniture includes original Morris and Co chairs, Ford Madox Brown green painted bedroom furniture, William Morris’s bed, tables and a settle designed by Philip Webb for Red House. Textiles include 15th and 16th century tapestries, Morris and Co carpets, embroideries by William Morris and the Acanthus and Vine tapestry worked entirely by him, the hangings of his bed and Daisy hangings from Red House. Ceramics include a collection of blue and white china and a William de Morgan lustre plate.

  Decorative Art Collection

  The William Morris Society has a study collection relating to Morris, his family and associates. The Society particularly seeks material which relates to Morris’s occupancy of Kelmscott House between 1878 and his death in 1896. It has Morris and Co printed and woven textiles, embroideries, Hammersmith rug and wallpaper sample books, designs on paper for wallpapers, textiles, embroideries, murals and stained glass, Morris and Co furniture, Kelmscott Press books, press furniture and blocks and an Albion proofing press used to produce Kelmscott books.

  Source: Cornucopia

  Date: Not known, but before 2015

  Licence: CC BY-NC