There are now more reasons to visit Red House, the first home of the Arts and Crafts Movement.

Tucked behind a high wall in what is now the suburban setting of Bexleyheath, Red House was designed for Morris by his friend, the renowned architect and designer Philip Webb, as an earthly paradise amid the gardens and orchards of Kent.  

On display for the first time this year is an exceptional original Arts and Crafts table by Webb dating from the 1860s, which has been acquired recently by the National Trust, and a replica of the famous Daisy wall-hanging, originally made for the house by Morris’s wife and muse, Janey, which will be displayed on a specially commissioned oak stand in Morris’s bedroom.

© NTPL / Andrew Butler

Morris and Janey welcomed and entertained many artistic friends at Red House, including  the Byrne-Jones family and the Rosettis. They travelled to this rural idlyll via the nearby new railway station at Abbey Wood, from where they were collected by Morris in a gaily decorated horse-wagon and driven over the heath through fields and orchards. This year you will be able to see the original Victorian stables where the horses lived, complete with stalls and feeding manger.  

With a new room open where visitors will be able to browse amongst books, documents and papers relating to Red House, this is a fascinating place to visit in 2008.

Visits are by guided tour only, which should be pre-booked on 020 8304 9878.