11/11/2024, South Woodford Gazette
Almost two centuries after William Morris was born, his flora and fauna designs are enjoying a renaissance. Perennially popular in museums, recent interior design trends such as ‘Cluttercore’ have led to a spike in the sales of William Morris homeware in the UK and around the world, yet the inspirations for William’s timeless designs lie right on our doorstep.
William was born in Walthamstow in 1834 to a wealthy middle-class family. When he was six, the Morris family moved to Woodford Hall, an estate surrounded by 50 acres of land adjacent to Epping Forest. The house, which stood behind the current Woodford Parish Church Memorial Hall, was demolished in 1900 and is commemorated with a plaque at the front of the building. While living there, William attended a local preparatory school, the Misses Arundale’s Academy for Young Gentlemen, which soon moved its premises to George Lane.
William enjoyed rambling around Epping Forest and fishing in the River Roding. On walks with his father, he learned the names of colourful flowers and birds that he would later go on to recreate in his designs and tapestries. William enjoyed visiting the Queen Elizabeth Hunting Lodge in Chingford, and later wrote of the ‘impression of romance’ that the Tudor building, with its tapestries and embroideries, had on him as a child.
William’s father died when he was nine (he is buried in the graveyard of St Mary’s Church), and the family moved back to Walthamstow, living in Water House, which now houses the William Morris Gallery. After finishing his schooling, William entered Oxford University, where he first grew to spurn Victorian industrial capitalism. Continue Reading >>
