William Morris Gallery
What Visitors Say
Really enjoyed the Women in Print exhibition! The building is lovely, and surrounded by a gorgeous park (looking forward to visiting at a warmer time of year to make the most of the outdoor space). I had a mocha and cinnamon bun from the coffee shop which were both super delicious 🤤
Such a beautiful gallery to explore inside and out! There was a wonderful exhibition on Women in Print (on till June 2026) and it was a great hisorical overview as well as just seeing some beautiful prints! I had to massively hold back in the gift shop :D There was also a food market right outside on the Saturday we went which was a delicious treat afterwards.
The William Morris Gallery is a HUGE asset to the community and world. I am a big fan of the Liberty fabrics that have popularized Morris’ designs- as far as I knew at least. As a person who sews, I have often admired the small bird stealing a strawberry… They even have a neon sign that you might notice with a similar idea in their tea room. When you walk through the doors to experience this FREE gallery- learning about the teenager who once lived in this neighborhood and became world famous- for his dedication to improving the world around him/ us. You can see how one person’s imagination and vision really might be able to make a difference. I love that this gallery is truly a community space- filled with people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. They have a great tea room- serving various pastries and toasties of all varieties- including their popular haggis and vegetarian haggis versions. They make a mean latte and pot of tea… Go ahead and check it out. :) It seems a good place for those on a walk in the nearby park, a warm spot for parents to come together before lunchtime. Definitely a place for all ages. They currently, as of October 2025, have a show to display the female designers within Liberty. When I say that I LOVE their shop- I mean it. They have a bit of everything there- from a postcard to large pieces of paper for any creative projects you want to try; they have books about the Arts and Crafts movement, they have embroidery projects, locally produced handkerchiefs that are (In my opinion) better quality than a certain big department store that carries similar things;) and at a better price… if you are interested- go check them out!! :) They have Christmas gifts for all of those people on your list too.
We visited yesterday. Parking nearby, reasonable price. Free entry to the museum. Really lovely and informative. Also were lucky enough to see the Liberty exhibition. The cafe serves great food l, the staff were friendly and you can sit outside and enjoy the grounds. Definitely recommended.
It was such a fun and informative gallery. If you like the works of William Morris, then this is a must visit. The gallery is small but I still spent a good 3 hours there and then an extraordinary hour going through the gift shop. I had a hard time convincing myself to not but everything there. 🤭 The volunteers were helpful and friendly. I also managed to catch the Morris Mania exhibition which shows the influence of William morris and his designs.
Highlights
Pattern Lab
How repeats become wallpapers and textilesYou see the jump from hand-sketched motifs to carved blocks and finished repeats—Morris’s craft stripped to its moving parts.
Ground floor, early galleries
Dye & Print
Natural colour, revivedMorris rejected chemical shortcuts; indigo vats and madder reds brought back the slow, luminous colour of vegetable dyes.
Ground floor, materials section
Kelmscott Press Room
The ‘book beautiful’Black ink, dense borders, and Burne-Jones wood-engravings show how Morris re-imagined the book as a total artwork.
First floor
Wallpaper Icons
Patterns that shaped British taste‘Strawberry Thief’, ‘Willow’, ‘Seaweed’—nature stylised into endlessly livable rooms.
First floor, design gallery
Lloyd Park & Garden Views
Context for a nature-first designerFrom the café windows to the herbaceous borders, the park frames Morris’s belief that beauty belongs in everyday life.
Rear of the house
Opening Hours
Fun Facts
The gallery won Art Fund Museum of the Year in 2013—remarkable for a free, local authority museum.
Morris lived here as a teenager (1848–56) in the Georgian ‘Water House’; his walks in the Lea Valley fed the plant forms that later recur in his patterns.
‘Strawberry Thief’ was inspired by thrushes stealing fruit at Kelmscott Manor—proof that irritation can birth an icon.
Morris co-founded a firm with six friends in 1861 (Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co.), effectively inventing a modern design studio that handled everything from stained glass to furniture.
