Latest news
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Read moreWilliam Morris Society temporarily closed due to flooding
July 16, 2021The William Morris Society is temporarily closing due to flood damage. If you have tickets for upcoming visits we will be in touch soon. We are sorry for any disappointment…
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Read moreInternational Kelmscott Press Day – 26 June 2021
June 24, 2021On June 26th, 2021, our colleagues at The William Morris Society in the United States are organizing International Kelmscott Press Day, a celebration commemorating the 130th anniversary of the founding…
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Read moreWe’re hiring!
June 24, 2021The Society is currently recruiting for two posts: A Weekend Duty Manager A Museum Officer (Learning & Engagement) You can find full details of each role including how to apply…
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Read moreThe Society’s museum is reopening!
May 29, 2021We are delighted that The William Morris Society’s museum will reopen on Saturday afternoons from 12 June. There will be a number of measures in place to ensure the safety…
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Calling volunteers!
May 6, 2021Do you have a few hours to spare? As we prepare for reopening our museum, we’re looking for volunteers who enjoy working with the public. If you have an interest…
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William Morris and Arsenic
May 6, 2021Were Morris’s wallpapers responsible for poisoning his Victorian followers? And did he profit from his connection with the production of arsenic by Devon Great Consols? This blog scrutinises the facts…
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New online exhibition: “The Ideal Book”: William Morris and the Kelmscott Press
April 9, 2021We are delighted to announce the launch of our online exhibition “The Ideal Book”: William Morris and the Kelmscott Press. The exhibition is a key part the Society’s 2021 celebrations,…
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Read more‘Coffee with a Curator’ talk now available online
January 21, 2021If you missed our first ‘Coffee with a Curator’ event on Tuesday 19 January, you can catch the recording of the talk here. This talk explores William Morris’s ‘new and…
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Read moreJoin us for our new monthly ‘Coffee with a Curator’ events
December 22, 2020Would you like to find out more about the fascinating objects held in The William Morris Society’s collection? Our new monthly ‘Coffee with a Curator’ events will give you the…
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Read moreHammersmith History Quiz
December 11, 2020On Wednesday 9 December, Arts and Crafts Hammersmith (a collaboration between The William Morris Society and The Emery Walker Trust) hosted a fiendishly difficult virtual quiz about the people and…
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Read moreCOLLABORATIVE EXHIBITION PROJECT BETWEEN STORYBOX COLLECTIVE & THE WILLIAM MORRIS SOCIETY
November 10, 2020William Morris: Wallpaper Man is an exhibition of new work that responds to the legacy of William Morris. The work has been created by The Storybox Collective, a group of…
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Read moreTHE HISTORIC BUILDINGS, PARKS AND GARDENS EVENT 2020
November 5, 202010th November 2020 The Historic Buildings, Parks and Gardens Event, which has been running for over 35 years is held in parallel with the Historic Houses Annual General Meeting. Visitors…
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Read moreOBJECT OF THE MONTH: OCTOBER 2020
September 30, 2020The Stockinger – Mary Annie Sloane A pencil drawing of a weaver working at a frame on paper drawn by Mary Annie Sloane ARE (1867-1961). Mary Annie Sloane ARE was an artist…
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Read moreOnline lecture series on ‘Ruskin, Roycroft, and the Arts & Crafts movement’
September 21, 2020The Roycroft Campus, The Ruskin Society of North America, and The Guild of St. George (founded by Ruskin in the 1870s in the UK), have come together to collaborate on…
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Read moreOBJECT OF THE MONTH: SEPTEMBER 2020
September 4, 2020Wey textile (on velvet) This textile was produced in 1883 using the surface block printing method at Merton Abbey. The piece is a printed velveteen textile depicting a branch design of…
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Read moreOBJECT OF THE MONTH: AUGUST 2020
August 3, 2020Design for ‘Windrush’ chintz, by William Morris, 1881. Pencil, pen, ink and watercolour on paper. Inscribed ‘Windrush chintz, 3 block white, brown, blue’. Windrush is a complex design depicting vertically meandering…
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Can you help us?
July 30, 2020The William Morris Society is carrying out a survey to better understand who our digital audiences are and how digital audiences are engaging with arts and culture online, more generally….
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Read moreOBJECT OF THE MONTH, JULY 2020
July 1, 2020Design for Bird woven wool, William Morris, pencil and watercolour on paper, 1878 Consisting of a range of original items, the majority of The William Morris Society’s collection was acquired through…
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We are hiring!
June 15, 2020Opportunities at The William Morris Society: Learning and Outreach Officer The William Morris Society is a charity and membership organization promoting the life, work and contemporary relevance of William Morris,…
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Read moreThe William Morris Society’s AGM
June 13, 2020The William Morris Society’s Annual General Meeting will be held at 12.00 on Saturday 4 July 2020. After serious consideration we have decided we must hold a virtual AGM and…
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Read moreOBJECT OF THE MONTH: JUNE 2020
June 1, 2020Of the several Kelmscott Press books within our collection, one that has a particularly interesting provenance and a fascinating story behind it is The History of Godefrey of Boloyne and…
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Read moreNew online exhibition: Highlights from The William Morris Society’s collection
May 29, 2020While our museum is closed, you can still enjoy some of the treasures of our collection in our first ever online exhibition. We hope you enjoy this introduction to William…
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Read moreRainbows of Hope
May 20, 2020It has been so inspiring and cheering to see the worldwide creative spirit of the rainbows expressing hope and thanks to our healthcare and frontline workers in your windows and…
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Read moreOBJECT OF THE MONTH: MAY 2020
May 6, 2020Caricature of William Morris by Edward Burne-Jones, 1888 Edward Burne-Jones, well known for his beautiful paintings, also loved to create amusing caricatures of those dearest to him including his lifelong…
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AGM postponed until July
April 23, 2020Because of the continuing Covid19 emergency, the Trustees have decided to postpone the Annual General Meeting from May 16th to July, probably Saturday 4th at 1000hrs. It is not yet…
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Read moreOBJECT OF THE MONTH: APRIL 2020
April 1, 2020The Lamb and Flag Watercolours, designed by William Morris, 1877-78 Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. developed a wide range of designs for church embroidery and vestments, including altar frontals, several…
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COVID-19 update
March 17, 2020In order to protect the health and well-being of our visitors, staff and volunteers, and in response to increasing concerns about the COVID-19 outbreak, we have taken the difficult decision to…
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We are hiring!
March 5, 2020Opportunities at The William Morris Society: Learning and Engagement Officer The William Morris Society is a charitable organisation working to promote the life, work and ethos of William Morris, the…
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Read moreOBJECT OF THE MONTH: MARCH 2020
March 1, 2020Design for Sunflower wallpaper, designed by William Morris, 1877-78 Executed in pen and watercolour, William Morris’s original design for Sunflower is a relatively simple, single colour pattern. Sunflower was block…
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Read moreOBJECT OF THE MONTH: FEBRUARY 2020
February 1, 2020Trellis wallpaper, designed by William Morris, 1862 Trellis was the first design for wallpaper by William Morris, completed in 1862, featuring birds drawn by Morris’s friend and colleague Philip Webb….
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New opening hours for The William Morris Society
January 23, 2020We are delighted to extend our opening hours! From 1 February, we will be open from 12-5pm on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. There will be a free ten minute ‘Welcome’…
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Read moreDavid Rainger 1921-2019
January 7, 2020We were saddened to learn of the recent death of David Rainger, who was an active member of The William Morris Society for many years and served as Chairman in…
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Read moreOBJECT OF THE MONTH: JANUARY 2020
January 2, 2020Minstrel with Cymbals, May Morris, embroidery on linen, c.1890 This beautiful embroidery, designed and stitched by May Morris, was adapted from a stained-glass window by her father. May changed the…
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Read moreChristmas opening hours
December 11, 2019During the festive season, we will be open from 2-5pm on Saturday 21st December and Saturday 28th December. We will be closed on Thursday 26th December. If you are out…
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Read moreNew Opportunity: Youth Advisor at The William Morris Society
November 19, 2019Youth Advisor at The William Morris Society Closing date: December 6th, 2019 Salary: Unpaid; Travel Expenses. Location: London, UK We are currently recruiting for one or more Youth Advisor(s) aged 18 to 25…
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Read moreMalcolm Sinclair
November 19, 2019We were saddened to hear of the death of Malcolm Sinclair on 3rd November, after a long illness. Malcolm was an active member of The William Morris Society for many…
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Read moreArts & Crafts Festival, Holy Trinity Sloane Street
September 17, 2019This weekend is Open House weekend in London. Holy Trinity Church in Sloane Street is holding its annual Arts & Crafts Festival, with an inspiring mix of talks, workshops, displays…
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Read moreThe Thames Journey from Hammersmith to Kelmscott – Day Six
August 17, 2019The last day of our six-day trip was marked by much rain, frequent laughter, regret at leaving the Midsomer Maiden, and pleasure on arriving at Kelmscott Manor. This day, like…
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Read moreThe Thames Journey from Hammersmith to Kelmscott – Day Five
August 16, 2019“We were soon under way and going at a fair pace through the beautiful reaches of the river between Bensington and Dorchester.” These words from “News from Nowhere” exactly describe…
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Read moreThe Thames Journey from Hammersmith to Kelmscott – Day Four
August 15, 2019“Here we were on the Thames that is the Thames, amidst the down-like country and all Cockneydom left far behind, and it was jolly.” So wrote William Morris to Georgiana…
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Read moreThe Thames Journey from Hammersmith to Kelmscott – Day Three
August 14, 2019Travelling from Windsor to Marlow on his 1880 Thames journey, William Morris wrote, “the river was all new to me, and very beautiful.” We had the same experience on this…
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Read moreThe Thames journey from Hammersmith to Kelmscott – Day two
August 13, 2019Today was our first day on the Midsomer Maiden, a beautiful 12-passenger Edwardian-style launch. Departing from the dock of the Mitre Hotel in Hampton Court, we headed immediately for Molesey…
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Read moreThe Thames journey from Hammersmith to Kelmscott – Day One
August 11, 2019Early in the morning on Sunday, 11 August, with the Dove pub deserted and only the occasional jogger to be seen in Furnivall Gardens, twenty-seven members of the William…
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Read moreRecreating William Morris’s voyage on the River Thames
August 1, 2019The last and loveliest section of William Morris’s utopian romance News from Nowhere involves a voyage up the Thames from Hammersmith to Kelmscott. The arrival at Kelmscott Manor forms the…
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We Are Hiring!
July 18, 2019Opportunities at The William Morris Society The William Morris Society is a charitable organisation working to promote the life, work and ethos of William Morris, the great designer, poet and…
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WENLOCK ABBEY THROUGH A VICTORIAN WINDOW: IN THE CLOISTERS WITH ARTISTS, POLITICIANS, WRITERS, THINKERS, ECCENTRICS
June 11, 2019A talk/double act at the Birmingham & Midland Institute on Saturday 15 June. Dr Cynthia Gamble and William Motley will reveal and bring to life some of the secrets of…
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Read moreNew Library Development Appeal launched
May 23, 2019The William Morris Society has launched an appeal to raise funds to develop our wonderful library, making it more accessible and enhancing the services we can offer to users. Read…
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Read more2019 Kelmscott Lecture: speaker announced
March 4, 2019We are delighted that Tristram Hunt, historian, former MP and current director of the V&A museum, has agreed to give this year’s Kelmscott Lecture. Dr Hunt will speak on William…
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Read moreNew Editor for the Society’s Magazine
February 18, 2019We are delighted to announce that Sarah Wilson has been appointed editor of The William Morris Society’s Magazine. Sarah is an experienced writer and magazine editor who has written for…
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The William Morris Society’s AGM and talk by Professor Florence Boos
February 18, 2019The Society’s AGM will take place on Saturday 18 May at 14.00, and will be followed at 15.00 by a free talk from Professor Florence Boos on ‘Morris’s Uncollected Essays:…
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Read moreGodfrey Rubens
February 5, 2019We were saddened to hear of the recent death of Godfrey Rubens, who was a longstanding member of The William Morris Society and served as a committee member in the…
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The William Morris Society: Opportunities to get involved
January 23, 2019The William Morris Society seeks volunteers/potential trustees with skills in business development, financial management and communications. The William Morris Society is a fellowship dedicated to promoting the appreciation of Morris’…
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Read moreJohn Purkis
December 18, 2018We were saddened to hear of the recent death of John Purkis, who had been a member of The William Morris Society for almost 60 years. John served as Lecture…
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Christmas opening
December 18, 2018If you are out for a stroll by the river during the festive season why not drop in to our museum? Our opening hours during Christmas are: Thursday 20 December…
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Read moreCould you be the next editor of our Magazine?
November 13, 2018With the approaching departure of our Magazine Editor we are looking for someone to take on the role. The William Morris Society Magazine is published three times a year and…
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Sonia Crutchlow
November 5, 2018We were saddened to hear of the death of Sonia Crutchlow, whose connection with The William Morris Society went back more than 25 years. Sonia was involved with the organisation…
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Read moreNew exhibition in the Coach House
September 24, 2018Our new exhibition, Drawing with Light, is now open. It features previously unseen images of William Morris, his family and his homes, as well as Morris & Co. art works,…
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Read moreThe William Morris Society on Instagram!
August 30, 2018You can now follow us on Instagram – click here or on the icon at the top of this page.
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Read moreNew exhibition in the Coach House opens soon
August 20, 2018Our next exhibition, Drawing With Light, which features photographs from the Society’s collection, will open on Thursday 30th August. More information here.
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Talk on 15 September cancelled
July 18, 2018Please note that the talk on Henry Halliday Sparling which was due to take place on 15 September has been cancelled due to ill health. We hope to reschedule it…
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Read moreThe Future of Work: Lessons from the History of Utopian Thought
July 3, 2018The lastest Working Paper from CUSP (the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity) explores the role of work in historical utopias including News From Nowhere, with contributions from Simon Mair,…
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Read more2018 Kelmscott Lecture – tickets now on sale
June 5, 2018We are delighted that this year’s annual Kelmscott Lecture will be given on Saturday 20 October by awardwinning writer Sarah Woods. Tickets for PATTERNING: In Story, Society and Wallpaper are…
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AGM 2018 and talk by WMS President
May 7, 2018The William Morris Society’s AGM will take place on Saturday 12 May at 14.15. Please note that the Society’s premises will be closed to general visitors for the afternoon. The…
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Read moreHoneysuckle – an update
May 3, 2018We are delighted to announce that we have reached our target for fund to conserve the Honeysuckle design by May Morris. A very big thank you to all those who have generously…
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Read moreA NEW PRESIDENT FOR THE SOCIETY
March 15, 2018The William Morris Society is delighted to announce the appointment of Lord Sawyer of Darlington (Tom Sawyer) as its new President. He succeeds Jan Marsh, who has served the Society with…
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Can you help us?
February 24, 2018We’ve just launched an appeal to raise funds to carry out vital conservation work on one of the treasures of our collection, this beautiful Honeysuckle design for wallpaper by May…
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Read moreBook launch for new edition of Morris’s Socialist Diary
February 1, 2018We are delighted to host a launch event for Florence Boos’ new edition of William Morris’s Socialist Diary on Wednesday 21st March. William Morris was the most prominent Victorian artist…
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Christmas opening times
December 5, 2017Our museum will be open as usual on Thursdays and Saturdays from 2-5pm during the festive period. If you need a last minute gift, we have lots of ideas in…
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Morrisian elected as Icelandic Prime Minister
December 5, 2017Iceland elected a new Prime Minister in November 2017. She is Katrin Jakobsdottir, leader of Vinstri Graen (RedGreen). She served as Minister for Education, Science and Culture in the Green…
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Would you like to chair The William Morris Society?
July 18, 2017The Society’s Trustees are looking to appoint a new Chair for the Society when Martin Stott steps down in 2018 after four years in post. The role involves: Chairing Trustee…
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Read moreLatest on the Arts & Crafts Hammersmith blog
June 29, 2017The craftsman who made one of the beautiful bookcases in our library recently visited the Society after more than 20 years. Read the story of his visit here.
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Annual General Meeting
May 5, 2017The Society’s 2017 AGM will take place at 14.15 on Saturday 20 May, in the Coach House, 26 Upper Mall, Hammersmith W6 9TA. An election for Trustees will be held…
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Have you ever considered becoming a Trustee of The William Morris Society?
February 9, 2017The Society is looking to recruit Trustees to start at the AGMs in May 2017 or 2018. We are looking for people with some knowledge and interest in William Morris…
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Read moreThe William Morris Society and Taylors of Harrogate
January 26, 2017The latest Limited Edition coffee from Taylors of Harrogate is a chocolately, citrussy blend of coffees from Colombia and Rwanda which features Morris’s 1872 design ‘Jasmine’ on the pack. Taylors’…
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Ronald Briggs
January 11, 2017The Society is sorry to report the death of our former secretary, Ronald Briggs, on 28 December 2016 at the age of 90. Ronald was a founder member of the Society;…
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Read moreArts & Crafts Hammersmith website now live!
January 10, 2017Our partnership project with The Emery Walker Trust, Arts & Crafts Hammersmith, has launched a new website for the New Year, highlighting West London’s rich artistic heritage. Do take a look…
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Read moreChristmas opening times
December 20, 2016If you are planning to visit us over the festive season, please note that we will be open as usual from 2-5pm on Thursday 22 and Thursday 29 December, but…
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Read moreKelmscott House closure in November 2016
November 3, 2016Arts & Crafts Hammersmith: a partnership project between The William Morris Society and The Emery Walker Trust. We are now entering the final phase of refurbishment work at Kelmscott House….
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Arts & Crafts Hammersmith: latest news
August 1, 2016The next phase of the exciting partnership project between The William Morris Society and The Emery Walker Trust is now under way and work has begun to improve facilities at…
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Read moreFellowship Opportunity in Delaware
August 1, 2016Amy P. Goldman Fellowship in Pre-Raphaelite Studies The University of Delaware Library, in Newark, Delaware, and the Delaware Art Museum are pleased to offer a joint Fellowship in Pre-Raphaelite studies,…
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Read moreCONGRATULATIONS TO CLARA DRUMMOND
June 22, 2016We are delighted to hear that Clara Drummond has been announced as overall winner of the prestigious BP Portrait Award 2016. Clara’s portrait, Girl in a Liberty Dress, is of her friend,…
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Read moreWilliam Morris Society Trip to Iceland, 2016
May 27, 2016There are only a few places left on our summer visit to Iceland! The trip is organised in association with Excellentia Global Travel Consultants of Reykjavik, and we hope you are…
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We are hiring!
May 26, 2016ARTS AND CRAFTS HAMMERSMITH (a partnership between the William Morris Society and Emery Walker Trust) seeks an experienced, qualified and highly able ARCHIVIST to plan, manage and deliver its complex…
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Read moreWilliam Morris Society AGM, 21st May 2016
March 31, 2016The Society’s Annual General Meeting will be held at 14.30 on Saturday 21st May 2016, in the Adelphi Room at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield. Following the meeting, we will visit…
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Read moreHappy Birthday William Morris
March 24, 2016William Morris was born 182 years ago today. We’re delighted to see him honoured with not just one but five Google doodles showcasing some of his best-loved designs.
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Lord Briggs of Lewes
March 17, 2016The Society was saddened to learn of the recent death of Lord Asa Briggs at the age of 94. Lord Briggs became a member of the Society in 1958 and…
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Fellowship Opportunities in Delaware
September 14, 2015There are currently two fellowships being offered to applicants at the Delaware Art Museum and the University of Delaware. You can find more information here and by downloading the application…
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Read moreMorris and Me on YouTube
July 30, 2015We now have our own YouTube channel! And you can view our 2014 Kelmscott Lecture delivered by the Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller.