Practically Magic: William Morris at Home in Hammersmith
New exhibition explores the designer's life and legacy
Left: 'Cray' Printed Cotton William Morris 1884 Right: Design for 'Bird' woven wool textile William Morris 1878
September 20, 2025
A new exhibition at Kelmscott House on Upper Mall in Hammersmith marks the 70th anniversary of the William Morris Society by exploring the life and work of the Victorian designer, poet, socialist, and environmentalist William Morris (1834–1896) in the home where he lived for nearly two decades.
Titled Practically Magic: William Morris at Home in Hammersmith, the exhibition is now open to the public in the Coach House and lower rooms of Kelmscott House, located at 26 Upper Mall, Hammersmith. It is open Thursday to Sunday, from 10:00am to 4:00pm. Admission is £5, with free entry for Hammersmith & Fulham residents, William Morris Society members, under-16s, and Historic Houses members.
Morris lived at Kelmscott House with his wife Jane and their two daughters, Jenny and May, for eighteen years. During this period, he expanded his creative work with Morris & Co., joined the private press movement in pursuit of “the ideal book,” and founded the Hammersmith branch of the Socialist League. The move to Hammersmith, encouraged by Jane to be closer to London, provided new inspiration for Morris, who once remarked that the house “might even be made very beautiful with a touch of my art.”
The exhibition features original hand-drawn designs for textiles, wallpapers, and books, alongside memorabilia from Morris’s political activism and personal life. Visitors can view items that reflect his time spent fishing on the Thames, studying medieval manuscripts in his library, and working in the garden. The display also includes contributions from Morris’s friends, colleagues, and family members, highlighting the collaborative spirit that defined his creative and political endeavours.
Honeysuckle Wallpaper, May Morris, 1883
George Bernard Shaw, a close friend and fellow member of the Socialist League, once described Kelmscott House as possessing “an extraordinary discrimination at work,” noting the sense of magic he felt upon visiting. The exhibition aims to capture that atmosphere while offering insight into the domestic and intellectual world Morris cultivated in Hammersmith.
It takes place in the Coach House, Kelmscott House, 26 Upper Mall, Hammersmith, W6 9TA.
The Coach House, Kelmscott House on Upper Mall
The William Morris Society exists to make better known the life, work and ideas of William Morris, designer, craftsman, poet and socialist. The Society’s premises are in the Coach House and basement of Kelmscott House, Morris’s Hammersmith home for the last 18 years of his life.
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