Heaven on earth

This Grade I-listed Tudor manor was home to William Morris, and its gardens and riverside setting inspired some of his best-loved fabric and wallpaper designs

Kelmscott Manor was William Morris’ country home. Set on the edge of a quiet village in West Oxfordshire, it was the place to which he retreated when life in London became too busy. He would frequently escape here until his death, 125 years ago this month. Morris described the 16th-century manor house as ‘heaven on earth’, admiring the craftsmanship of its construction and the way it fitted in with the village and surrounding countryside. It appeared to him a perfect part of its setting, as if it ‘had grown up out of the soil’. The story behind Morris’ country retreat is not so idyllic, however. He took the property on a shared lease with the poet and painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti in 1871 in order to stifle growing gossip about Rossetti’s affair with Morris’ wife Jane. Their affair continued at Kelmscott for over 10 years and yet Morris continued to call it home, in spite of the unorthodox set-up, drawing inspiration from it for designs such as Strawberry Thief, Kennet and Willow Bough. Kelmscott Manor is closed for conservation until 2022