My pilgrimage to all the William Morris sites in London fittingly finished with the place he lived and died in.

William Morris Society (Kelmscott Press)

 

The small museum run by the William Morris Society sits in the basement and Coach House of Morris’ last home.  He ran his infamous Kelmscott Press here and held many of his Socialist meeting here.

 

 

The house looks out onto the Thames in Hammersmith (out in West London). Its a beautiful spot with a cute pub and nice park nearby.  The Society rents out the house above for budgeting reasons.

 

 

In the Coach House is a lovely display of their collection of original works, patters, photos and archival material. It also features a film about Morris and his life at the house.

 

 

The basement includes his actual press!  They often have a person operating the Press on the Saturdays! What a wonderful treat to see.

 

 

I particularly loved the printing block of the house itself! There were a few other blocks as well along with one of Morris’ books printed at the press.

 

This was the last of the William Morris sites I visited in London.  The National Society of Antiquaries owns Kelmscott Manor (for which Kelmscott Press is names) which was Morris’ later country home in the Cotswolds.

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Rating: 4/5

Pros: Great building, small but high quality collection, very friendly staff, amazing shop, cool demonstrations, beautiful location overlooking the Thames, excellent videos about Morris’ life in the house

Cons: It is very small and a little tricky to find, very limited hours (check the website before you go!), no cafe but there is a pub down the lane, not the best for kids or those with mobility issues (loads of stairs)