William Morris (1834-1896) was a leading light in the Arts and Crafts movement, which spread throughout the world, but was particularly centred on the Cotswolds. The Gild of Handicrafts moved from London to Chipping Campden, whilst Kelmscott Manor in Oxfordshire served both as Morris’s country home and his muse.
Morris was born in Walthamstow, but discovered his love of medievalism whilst at Oxford University. He came to despise London’s overcrowding and pollution, and sought a residence more in keeping with his ideals. Like many before and since, he found it in Wessex.
Interestingly, his utopian novel News From Nowhere describes a carriage as being “as graceful as pleasant in line as a Wessex waggon.” Thomas Hardy refers to Wessex waggons as having a very marked curve and being decorated with floral patterns. Morris’s reference suggests that they were considered the gold standard for wagons.
Whilst Morris had previously been known for political activism, in his years at Kelmscott, he pivoted towards poetry. He mastered traditional printing techniques, and founded the Kelmscott Press, which specialised in handsomely illustrated books of poetry and medieval texts.
Morris died in London, but in accordance with his wishes, his body was transported by train to Oxford and buried in the grounds of Kelmscott Manor.
