The Red House

We visited The Red House in Bexleyheath, Kent today. It was the home of William Morris, the founder of the Arts and Crafts movement. He commissioned the house, which was built in 1859 by his friend and architect, Philip Webb. Morris lived there with his wife Jane from 1860 to 1865. It was a test bed for his design ideas and also a hub for his Preraphaelite artist friends such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Lizzie Siddal and Edward Burne-Jones. The 45 minute tour of the house given by a National Trust guide was excellent and we were then able to wonder freely around the beautiful garden. When the house was built it was in the middle of the countryside - now it is surrounded by suburbia.