More than a house, Red House was the epicentre of love and tragedy for the Pre-Raphaelites.

Designed for William Morris by the architect Philip Webb, it is a revolutionary building in the history of English architecture.

And as a salon and almost a commune for Morris and his friends, it was the place that would inspire art, poetry and friendship.

It would also be central to the lives of the group of artists and writers clustered around the Morrises: Dante Gabriel Rossetti, his wife and model Lizzie Siddal, Edward Burne-Jones and Ford Madox Brown.

The influence of Red House on the Arts & Crafts movement was seminal. The challenge of furnishing the house led to Morris and friends founding what became the groundbreaking design firm of Morris & Co.

When practicalities forced Morris to sell his beloved Red House after only five years, Morris vowed never to return as the sight of the house was ‘more than he could bear’.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti

In January 2003, an anonymous eleventh-hour benefactor purchased the highly sought after and historical property for the National Trust on the understanding that public access to the house was continued.

Previously privately owned, Red House is considered as one of the most important landmarks in modern architecture as it is the only building actually commissioned by Morris.

Here the reader has the opportunity to not only see what Red House was like when Morris lived there, but to understand the initial concept of the house as an ‘earthly paradise’, which William Morris and friends came up with whilst rowing down the Seine.

From this fledgling idea came a house that inspired Morris, Webb, Rossetti and Burne-Jones to greater things and influenced generations of architects, artists and designers.

'William Morris & Red House' is available from National Trust shops and selected book stores now. You can order your copy online from Amazon; we will benefit from every sale.

About the author

Jan Marsh is a biographer specialising in artists and writers. She has researched and written extensively on the Pre-Raphaelite circle.