William Morris Gallery
The William Morris Gallery, opened by Prime Minister Clement Attlee in 1950, is the only public museum devoted to English Arts and Crafts, designer William Morris. The Gallery is located at Walthamstow in Morris's family home from 1848 to 1856, the former Water House, a substantial Grade II* listed[1] Georgian dwelling of about 1750 which is set in its own extensive grounds (now Lloyd Park). The Gallery is currently undergoing major redevelopment and will reopen in July 2012.[2]
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[edit] About
The Gallery's collections illustrate Morris' life, work and influence. They include printed, woven and embroidered fabrics, rugs, carpets, wallpapers, furniture, stained glass and painted tiles designed by Morris himself and by Edward Burne-Jones, Philip Webb, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Ford Madox Brown, and others who together founded the firm of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Company in 1861.
Outstanding exhibits include: Morris' medieval-style helmet and sword, made as 'props' for the Pre-Raphaelite murals at the Oxford Union; the original design for Trellis (the earliest of Morris' many wallpapers); the Woodpecker tapestry woven at Morris' Merton Abbey workshops; the Beauty and the Beast and Labours of the Months tile panels; and The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer printed at Morris' Kelmscott Press. Other exhibits — such as the satchel in which Morris carried out his Socialist pamphlets, or the coffee cup he used on his weekly visits to the Burne-Joneses — provide a more personal glimpse of his busy life.
The Gallery also holds a substantial collection of furniture, textiles, ceramics and glass by Morris' followers in the Arts and Crafts Movement, which flourished from the 1880s to the 1920s. Among those represented are Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo and the Century Guild, William De Morgan, May Morris, Ernest Gimson, Sidney Barnsley, George Jack, C. F. A. Voysey, Harry Powell, Selwyn Image, Henry Holiday, and Christopher Whall.
The collections of applied art are complemented by the Brangwyn Gift of paintings, drawings and prints by the Pre-Raphaelites and other Victorian and later artists, as well as works by Sir Frank Brangwyn himself.
[edit] William Morris Gallery Development Project
In March 2009 the William Morris Gallery was awarded development funding of £80 000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund.[3] The William Morris Gallery drew up plans for the major William Morris Gallery Development Project to extend and refurbish the Gallery. In Autumn 2010, this proposal was successful in securing round two funding of £1.523 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund, which was matched with £1.5 million from the London Borough of Waltham Forest. Further funding has been secured from charitable trusts and foundations and through an ongoing public fundraising campaign.[4]
The Gallery is temporarily closed to the public for redevelopment. When it reopens in July 2012, far more works of art will be on display. The displays will have been completely renovated and all of Gallery's facilities will have been significantly improved and made fully accessible. There will, in particular, be a dedicated space for school groups, a new study area and an excellent shop and tearoom. The Gallery will also be developing a programme of activities and events to make their heritage more engaging to a wider and more diverse audience.[5]
[edit] Closure threat
In 2007, the museum faced a closure threat after its opening hours were cut back as a cost-cutting exercise, breaking a stipulation of gifts by Sir Frank Brangwyn, one of Morris' students, that works should be on view for a minimum amount of time weekly. Campaigners against the cuts include former Culture Secretary Chris Smith. [6][7] A special campaign web site has been set up to oppose the cuts.[8]
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ List of listed buildings in Waltham Forest accessed 24 April 2007
- ^ William Morris Gallery Development Project
- ^ William Morris Gallery Development Project
- ^ Support the William Morris Gallery Development Project
- ^ William Morris Gallery Development Project
- ^ Closure threat to Morris Museum, The Observer, 28 January 2007
- ^ The William Morris Gallery dispute, BBC, 15 January 2007. This also includes a video of the gallery.
- ^ Keepourmuseumsopen.org.uk.
