About the Society
The William Morris Society aims to perpetuate the memory of one of the greatest men of the Victorian, or any, age.
The life, work and ideas of William Morris (1834-1896) are as important today as they were in his lifetime. The Society exists to make them as widely known as possible.
The variety of Morris’s ideas and activities bring together those who are interested in him as a designer, craftsman, poet, and socialist, who admire his robust and generous personality, his creative energy and his courage. His ideas on how we live and how we might live, on creative work, leisure and machinery, on ecology and conservation, on politics and the place of arts in our lives remain as stimulating now as they were over a century ago.
The Society, established in 1955, publishes a Journal, Newsletter and commentaries on all aspects of Morris’s work and runs a varied series of talks and visits throughout the year. It encourages the re-publication of Morris’s works and the continued manufacture of his textile and wallpaper designs.
The Society’s office and museum are in the basement and Coach House of Kelmscott House, Hammersmith, Morris’s London home for the last eighteen years of his life. During this time he ran his manufacturing company, Morris and Company, at Merton Abbey, he founded the Kelmscott Press and he held Socialist League (later the Hammersmith Socialist Society) meetings in the Coach House. Today the Society’s talks and other events are held in the Coach House; it also hosts exhibitions of works by Morris and his wider circle. See our Events and Our Museum pages for details.
Membership of the Society is open to all. Please see the Membership page for more information.
The Society’s Constitution can be downloaded here as a PDF*.
The William Morris Society in the United States maintains close ties with its British counterpart, though it holds separate events and issues additional mailings. U. S. residents who join the US Morris Society are automatically enrolled in the UK Morris Society. For more information, see the website of the William Morris Society in the US. For Canadian Morris enthusiasts, please see the William Morris Society of Canada.
*we recommend you download Adobe Reader to view the PDF. A free download is available here*
“Ever since I can remember I was a great devourer of books.”
