William Morris Gallery set to reopen

The William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow, London, is set to reopen following a £10 million revamp by architect Pringle Richards Sharratt.

CGI of the new east wing extension

Source: Pringle Richards Sharratt

CGI of the new east wing extension

PRS led the project, with its exhibition design consultancy GuM Studio working on exhibition elements, with interpreter Benedetta Tiana of BT Museum Consultancy. Thomas Manss & Co has worked on graphics for the exhibition spaces.

The William Morris Gallery, which opened in 1950, is housed in Morris’s family home, where he lived from 1848-1856.

It houses a collection of almost 600 objects and works by the Arts and Crafts designer, including personal letters and writings and works by Morris and other artists.

The refurbishment has seen the introduction of three new galleries, taking the total to 12, as well as a library, research and education centre and a new Georgian orangery-inspired extension housing a tearoom and balcony.

Peacock and Dragon woven wool (1878) by William Morris
Peacock and Dragon woven wool (1878) by William Morris

The work has seen some of the building’s original Georgian features revealed for the first time, while the gardens and the drive to the house have also been remodelled.

Wesley Kerr, London Committee chairman of the Heritage Lottery Fund, which part-funded the refurbishment, says, ‘Morris wanted ordinary people to be able to enjoy quality Arts and Crafts artefacts – from furniture to stained glass, tapestries to pottery – and the gallery presents hundreds from its world-class collection, inside the now fully accessible and expended 18th-century mansion.’

The gallery is set to reopen on 2 August.

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