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William Morris, 1834 - 96, is
considered one of the most influential designer of the Victorian
age.
Between 1848 and 1856 Morris
lived with his family at 'Water House', a Georgian house in
Walthamstow set in its own grounds. Dating from the early
1740s, the house once had a moat which is now a lake, the
source of its name.
A later owner of Water House,
the publisher Edward Lloyd, gave the property to the local
council in 1898, and in 1950 the council opened the building
as the William Morris Gallery. The gardens were laid
out as a small park, named Lloyd Park.
The museum gives an account of
William Morris the writer, poet, pioneer socialist, painter,
designer, craftsman and leading exponent of the Arts and Crafts
Movement. Exhibits include Morris's wallpapers, fabrics
and furniture. One of the more personal exhibits is the
satchel used by Morris to carry Socialist pamphlets.
The galleries upstairs are devoted
to associates of Morris and members of the Arts and Crafts
movement. Displays include furniture by A H Mackmurdo,
tiles by William de Morgan, pottery by the Martin brothers
and books published by the Kelmscott Press , which was founded
by Morris in 1891.
There is also work by the architect
Philip Webb, who designed the Red House at Bexleyheath for
Morris in 1859, and paintings by the Pre-Raphaelites Dante
Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones.
Other items on display include
pictures and sculptures by Rodin, and paintings by Frank Brangwyn,
one-time apprentice of Morris.
Admission free
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