In 1881 Willliam Morris moved his cramped workshop in Queen Square, Bloomsbury to a picturesque 18th-century fabric-printing works on the River Wandle in South London. Here in the old timber sheds, Morris established workshops for tapestry weaving, carpet knotting, block-printed textiles, woven textiles, stained-glass and a dye-works. Along with his older established workforce, Morris employed local girls to produce the beautiful carpets and boys to weave his famous tapestries. The works finally closed in 1940. David’s lecture will cover the fascinating history, and the people involved in this site, which was central to Morris & Company’s success.
David Saxby is a senior archaeologist for MOLA who led the excavations on the site in 1992 and published William Morris at Merton.
