Why visit the William Morris Gallery?

The William Morris Gallery is located in Walthamstow and:

• holds an archive of material related to the William Morris, the English textile designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement.
• currently has an exhibition which relates how the art of the Islamic World influenced Morris's design thinking

I highly recommend a visit. We visited William Morris & Art from the Islamic World last Friday.  Both the exhibition and the archive of material about his life and work of various kinds which the Gallery houses are well worth a visit.  

The exhibition continues until 9 March 2025.

I've uploaded some photographs I took to my Facebook Page where they are proving to be very popular. They show a mix of Islamic art and Morris's designs inspired by Islamic art. I've included narratives for each photo identifying what you are looking at.

You can also find some of the things I saw below.

Granada - designed by William Morris

Silk velvet brocade with silk thread

William Morris Gallery

Granada features pomegranates and almond shaped buds, connected by ogives (pointed arches) and branches, imagery that also appears in Ottoman textiles.

view of the exhibition

Morris and Islamic Art

Morris was a great collector of Islamic Art and also - which was news to me - advised the then South Kensington Museum (originally about science and art; their art section is now called the Victoria and Albert Museum) on the topic in relation to acquisitions for their excellent collection.

One of my favourite aspects of the V&A is the Iznik pottery which can be found in the Jameel Islamic Gallery on the ground floor - and it was fascinating to see items of Isnik pottery collected by Morris in designs I'd not seen before.

A dish made in Turkey

Golden Bough design by William Morris

Islamic Art

an Iznik tile made in Turkey c.1560-70

Islamic art in the context of this exhibition means the art produced between the 7th and the 21st centuries in those areas of the world where Islam is the dominant religion. It includes art from as far west as Spain and as far east as Indonesia. 

All the items of Islamic Art in the Exhibition once belonged to members of the Morris Family.

The Archives

One of the galleries in the archive which deals with the technical aspects of production

The archive material about William Morris and his world and productions is absolutely fascinating and incorporates commentary on how and why materials used eg colours changed during his lifetime.

It focuses on textile art, carpets, wallpaper and all manner of things related to Morris and the Art and Crafts Movement in the late 19th century in which he played a very influential role plus the Kelmscott Press which he also founded as well as designed new typeface.

This section of the archives comments on the dyes used in textiles and prints

About the William Morris Gallery

The building which houses the Gallery was originally the home of William Morris and he lived there from 1848-1856 - from age 14 to 22.

The Gallery is free and open to all. 

Address: William Morris Gallery, Lloyd Park, Forest Road, London E17 4PP.

Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, from 10am to 5pm (and bank holidays). (Note: closed 20th December for an event)

Cafe: There is also a very pleasant cafe at the rear overlooking Lloyd Park run by Deeny's

Lloyd Park: There is a pleasant small park and garden to the rear of the house/gallery

The park was originally the garden and grounds surrounding Morris’ childhood home; an inspiration for his love of nature. A beautiful William Morris contemporary garden just behind the house includes many of the plants which feature in his designs.

How to get there: The Gallery is a 12-15 minute walk or a short bus ride from Walthamstow Central station on the Victoria Line and National Rail.

You can also access it via either Stratford Underground or Layton Station and then a 97 bus.