THE celebrity speaker at the April meeting was Paul Atterbury. His talk on “William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement” was illustrated throughout, the first being a photograph of leading Pre-Raphaelites.
They greatly influenced his designs and thinking, as did his early membership of the Socialist League.
Morris had a business in Oxford Street selling furniture, furnishings and textiles. He was, therefore, able to innovate, matching patterns and designs that co-ordinated to fit out a whole room.
In 1859, Webb designed the Red House for him. Now owned by the National Trust, it is described as the Arts and Craft house.
Initially Morris designs were for flat surfaces. By the 1870s, his team extendeds their scope to the whole product, such as ceramics.
William Morris died in 1896, by which time the popularity of his designs had become well established.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article