ARTS & CRAFTS TOURS IS SUPPORTING IMPORTANT CONSERVATION AT MANOR, ’S ‘HEAVEN ON EARTH’

Kelmscott Manor, on the Thames William Morris’s bedcover designed by

William Morris’s bedroom is one of the most important rooms of his life at Kelmscott Manor between 1871 – 1896. The bedcover was designed by May in memory of her father. It is exquisitely embroidered comprising little sprays of flowers and foliage, caught within knotwork and bordered by insects, birds and other creatures all of which would have been familiar around Kelmscott Manor and its surrounding landscape.

Signed by , and bearing an embroidered representation of the Manor and William Morris’s motto ‘Si je puis’, this is an object of immense familial significance. Below is a small detail.

A key object in the Kelmscott collection, the bedspread is now extremely fragile and requires conservation treatment which is part of the £6 million conservation led development of the Manor, which will be open in May 2021 for the 150th anniversary of when Morris moved into the Manor.

Arts & Crafts Tours is delighted to support the Society of Antiquaries and their work to conserve this treasure. Towards that end £500 (approximately $650) of the cost of our May 16-24, 2020 tour and £250 (approximately $325) of our July 13-15, 2020 tour will be given to the Society for the conservation of the Morris bedcover.

If you would prefer to receive a US-tax deduction, you can do so by contact the Charities Aid Foundation America (CAF America) https://www.cafamerica.org/ directly and sending you’re your contribution. Please just let us know that you are doing this and we will reduce the cost of the tour accordingly.

UK citizens can receive a deduction via Gift Aid. To do this, please contact us directly and we will put you in touch with the appropriate forms.

You can find out about each of the tours and download the brochures, registration forms and tour conditions on our website. And, of course, as always you can contact us directly at https://www.artsandcraftstours.com/contact-us for further information and details.

All contributions of £500.00 will be acknowledged in a special ‘Commemorative Kelmscott Manor Companion’ book. We hope you will consider supporting this excellent project and joining us on one or both of these tours.