What’s On

This is a rare opportunity to get up close with items that are rarely on show to the public with a specialist tour of both Emery Walker’s House and the nearby William Morris Society premises. The tour will explore the Arts & Crafts textiles in both collections, including exquisite examples of May Morris’ work. The Read More

The artist, poet, designer, and publisher, William Morris, was deeply moved by illuminated manuscripts he saw in Canterbury Cathedral as a child. Later, while studying at Oxford, he encountered more manuscripts at the Bodleian Library that inspired him to try his hand at illumination. Morris eventually integrated ideas and designs from these manuscripts, along with Read More

Join us for a morning of creativity and learn the intricate art of metal embossing creating your own William Morris inspired festive ornaments! There will also be the opportunity to hear a short introductory talk on our new exhibition 'Practically Magic' by our curator who will also show you some of our unique and original objects from our Read More

We are so excited to launch our brand new and exclusive Morris by Moonlight evening events! Join us after hours for a candle-lit evening at the William Morris Society Museum and experience this hidden gem by moonlight. The evening will commence with an introductory highlights talk from 6.15-6.30pm on the history of Kelmscott House where William Read More

What was the world of textiles out of which William Morris' practice emerged? And what inspired his designs? In this lecture, Dr Isabella Rosner, examines the bright, simplistic embroidery that had a monopoly on British stitching before the Arts and Crafts movement and explores the historical textiles Morris took inspiration from for his own textile designs. 

Karen Livingstone will talk about her new book, Women Pioneers of the Arts & Crafts Movement which is a celebration of the work and ambition of the women who were at the heart of the most influential art and design movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. She will shine a light on the vital contribution of figures such as May Morris, Gertrude Jekyll, Annie Garnett, and many others.

This event is fully booked. Taking place in the atmospheric surroundings of Kelmscott House – the home of William Morris from 1878 – this unique one-day workshop and masterclass is a wonderful opportunity to follow in the footsteps of William Morris. Working where William Morris created some of his best-known designs, you will be able to immerse yourself in a world of creativity and making inspired by the traditions of the Arts and Crafts movement.

The Journal of William Morris Studies has published around 120 articles, exploring all areas of Morris’s social, political and environmental thought as well as his energetic political activism. The new anthology from the archives of JWMS, William Morris's Socialism and Politics: Claiming a Decent Life, edited by John Blewitt and published by the University of Read More

In 1867 and 1868, William Bell Scott – an Edinburgh-born member of the Pre-Raphaelite social circle – created a folding screen, known as The King’s Quair, for the Newcastle industrialist James Leathart. Bold in colour and rich in detail, it illustrates The Kingis Quair, a fifteenth-century poem attributed to King James I of Scotland that Read More