Photo: Boerkevitz at English Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0 Source Cropped to fit
Kelmscott Manor is a Grade I listed historic house in Oxfordshire, and a member of Historic Houses. Read about its history, architecture and gardens, plus how to visit and what's nearby.
About Kelmscott Manor
Kelmscott Manor is a limestone manor house in the Cotswold village of Kelmscott, close to the River Thames in Oxfordshire.
Built around 1570 with a later seventeenth-century wing, it became the country home of the designer, writer and socialist William Morris in 1871.
The house holds an outstanding collection of Morris family furniture, textiles, paintings and ceramics, gathered over the decades he spent there.
Read more on WikipediaHistory of Kelmscott Manor
The manor dates from around 1570, with a wing added in the late seventeenth century, and is listed Grade I on the National Heritage List for England. William Morris took on the house as a country retreat in 1871 and kept it until his death in 1896. Jane Morris purchased the property in 1913, shortly before her own death the following year. Their daughter May Morris lived there for much of her later life, and on her death in 1938 bequeathed the house to the University of Oxford. The Society of Antiquaries of London acquired it subsequently and has cared for it since.
Architecture of Kelmscott Manor
Built in Cotswold limestone, the manor combines an Elizabethan core of around 1570 with a later seventeenth-century wing, giving it the informal, organic profile that Morris himself admired.
Worth knowing
William Morris, the Victorian designer, poet and founder of the Arts and Crafts Movement, considered Kelmscott the most unspoiled house he knew, saying it looked as though it had grown up out of the soil. His daughter May Morris, an embroiderer and editor of his collected works, spent much of her adult life there.
Gardens & grounds at Kelmscott Manor
The grounds include a meadow, a dovecote and a stream running down to the Thames Path, and were a lasting source of inspiration for Morris's textile designs.
Facilities
Plan your visit to Kelmscott Manor
Nearest station: Swindon Rail Station (10.6 miles)
Admission
Free entry to Historic Houses members (show valid membership card)
Places to visit near Kelmscott Manor
St John the Baptist Church, Inglesham
View St John the Baptist Church, Inglesham on heritage mapGreat Coxwell Barn
View Great Coxwell Barn on heritage mapSt Michael and St Martin's Church, Eastleach Martin
View St Michael and St Martin's Church, Eastleach Martin on heritage mapHistoric places nearby
Within 5 miles of Kelmscott Manor there are 5 historic properties, including 2 churchs and 2 historic houses, across Churches Conservation Trust, Historic Houses and National Trust sites.
Within 10 miles of Kelmscott Manor there are 11 historic properties, including 4 archaeological sites, 3 historic houses and 2 churchs, across English Heritage, Historic Houses and Churches Conservation Trust sites.
Within 20 miles of Kelmscott Manor there are 36 historic properties, including 12 historic houses, 9 archaeological sites and 7 churchs, across English Heritage, Historic Houses and Churches Conservation Trust sites.
Stay nearby
Make more of your visit with an overnight stay near Kelmscott Manor.
Find places to stay nearby Affiliate link. We may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you.Facts
The Cotswold house that shaped William Morris's most famous textile patterns, and where his daughter May carried on his work.
- Type
- historic house
- Location
- Oxfordshire, England
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