An Autumn visit to Kelmscott Manor, nr. Lechlade
It was back in 2011 that I last visited Kelmscott Manor, the former home of William Morris and his family and their sometime lodger Gabriel Dante Rossetti, lover of William’s wife Jane.
The garden is little changed, it is essentially a small farmhouse garden, there are a few large ash trees, a catalpa and a number of fruit trees, and of course the iconic willow trees that inspired Morris, which thrive due to the proximity of the River Thames, the borders in the garden were past their best but would have been a riot of hollyhocks and roses earlier in the year. A notable feature is the yew topiary Icelandic Dragon, Fafnir, which featured in Morris’ Old Norse Volsunga saga.
The Society of Antiquaries take excellent care of the house and farm buildings and it was delightful to wander through the rooms, featuring Morris & Co textiles, Arts & Crafts furniture, much of which was designed by Philip Webb. However, it was the original paintings that caught our eye, some lovely examples of Rossetti’s work in his beautifully designed frames. The highlight was the one purchased by Rossetti which hangs in the White Room, a real treasure for garden historians, ‘Spring’ by Pieter Bruegel the Younger painted towards the end of the 16th century. There are very few examples of gardeners at work from this period and the detail it shows is an insight into cultivation techniques from this period. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pieter_III._Brueghel_-_Spring.jpg
Claire de Carle & Gwen Miles 17th October 2024
