Kelmscott House
It is a Tudor house built of local limestone near to Lechlade, Glos. It is just about 100 yards from the banks of the Thames. Morris considered it unspoilt, as though it had grown organically from the countryside.
Now, it is owned by the Society of Antiquaries, and is only open a few days in the year. It has a restaurant and a shop, and seemed to be run very informally. There were guides in each room but was not formal as the atmosphere at NT properties.
The title page of "News from Nowhere"
The rooms have many pieces made by Morris and his family.
Late in August we went over to The Red House, a house designed by William Morris and Philip Webb in Bexleyheath. It was acquired by NT in 2003 from two LCC architects who lived there for many years, as they saw the significance of the house. In Morris' time it was in countryside but London's sprawling suburbia had surrounded it.
The Red House
We had a guide who explained the conception of the house, and the furniture in each room. There were wall-paintings and stained glass by Morris' friend, Edward Burne-Jones. She asked people where they were from: most were 'locals'. The day was warm and sunny so we looked at the gardens, divided into 'rooms'. Volunteers worked there including a large vegetable area; also an apple orchard. One of the small outbuildings was an open tea room.
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