New events explore the rich history of Kelmscott House and historic Fulham

6th May 2019

Want to learn more about the rich history of Hammersmith and Fulham? Look no further

A new exhibition from the William Morris Society and a guided walk of historic Fulham should do the trick.

Kelmscott House

Kelmscott House in Upper Mall, Hammersmith, was the home of legendary Victorian designer, poet and writer William Morris for the last 18 years of his life.

The new exhibition from the William Morris Society shows off a house bursting with creative energy and artistic activity – a must for anyone interesting in interior design.

It features original Morris & Co. designs, textiles and wallpapers, complemented by beautiful photographic prints. Hammersmith residents who inhabited the house before and after Morris will also be featured including poet and novelist George MacDonald, Sir Francis Ronalds who invented the electric telegraph and the actress Athene Seyler.

William Morris reported to his wife Jane that he had found a house in London that ‘might be made very beautiful with a touch of my art’ when he leased Kelmscott House in 1878. It was here that he began carpet weaving, wove his first tapestry and continued his innovating approach to design.

Many well-known Morris & Co. designs are associated with the house. In 1878 Morris designed the Bird woven wool textile to hang in the drawing room of the property and Peacock and Dragon curtains adorned the room. Pimpernel wallpaper hung in the dining room and Trellis in Morris’s ground floor bedroom.

The exhibition runs until October 26. Open Thursdays and Saturdays 2-5pm. Free entry. For more details, click here

Fulham walk

Take a guided walk around the centre of historic Fulham on Saturday, May 11.

Starting at 2pm, the walk begins at Putney Bridge tube station and will be led by Keith Whitehouse, Chairman of Fulham & Hammersmith Historical Society.

The historic walking tour includes:

-Fulham Bridge and the ferry crossing to Putney

-Fulham House – where the first Mercedes cars were built in Britain under the railway arches

-The Temperance Billiard Hall (now a pub), Fulham War Memorial Garden and its plaques to Victoria Cross winners

-The road that gave its name to a lavatory cistern

-The outer earthworks of Fulham Palace

-The surviving kiln and buildings of Fulham Pottery

-The Eight Bells pub first recorded in 1609, an ideal venue to end the walk.

For more details and to book, email Keith at fulhammoat@gmail.com