Kelmscott Manor was the former country retreat of William Morris, Father of the Arts & Crafts Movement, and is now open to the public so you too can experience "Heaven on Earth". From 1871-96, Kelmscott Manor was William Morris's summer home. Rossetti, the Pre-Raphaelite artist, was a co-tenant from 1871-74. The William Morris, the Morris family, D.G. Rossetti, and several of Morris's and Rossetti
's friends and co-workers lived and worked at Kelmscott Manor, drawing inspiration from the flora, fauna and architecture of the farmstead and surrounding area. After William Morris's death, Morris's widow, Jane, and his daughter, May, bought Kelmscott Manor and brought objects from his previous homes to the Manor. Today, the Manor largely reflects May Morris's desire to commemorate her father's achievements. The Manor, an Accredited Museum, is widely recognised as one of the most significant and distinctive national deposits of late Victorian decorative art. Kelmscott Manor was included in the Daily Telegraph's 2013 list of top-ten places to see British Art: "...the best place to get a feel for [Morris's] taste in architecture, design, furniture, fabrics and gardens. Of the surviving Morris houses, the Manor is the most complete and relatively undisturbed." (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/artsandculture/10011984/Englands-great-art.html)
The Society of Antiquaries of London inherited the property in 1962, invested in repairing and conserving the Manor, and opened it to visitors. Today, the Manor is owned by the Society and welcomes approximately 20,000 visitors a year between April and October, and loans objects from the Kelmscott Manor collection to other museums around the world between November and March.
