Kelmscott Manor

Over het museum

Kelmscott Manor was built around 1600 for Thomas Turner, a yeoman farmer, and was originally called Lower Farm. It was extended in the 1660s with a new wing containing the White Room and Tapestry Room, and in 1864 it was renamed Kelmscott Manor when the lordship of the manor was bought.

In 1871 the designer, writer and socialist William Morris saw the house advertised for rent and took it jointly with the artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who left in 1874. Morris rented it until his death in 1896 and called it a heaven on earth. It never became his permanent home, but it inspired designs such as Strawberry Thief and his novel News from Nowhere. His wife Jane kept the tenancy, trustees bought the house in 1913, and his younger daughter May moved there for good in 1923 and lived there until 1938.

May's will left the house to Oxford University on condition that it stay unmodernised, but the university could not afford the upkeep and in 1962 a court passed it to the Society of Antiquaries of London, May Morris's residual legatee. The Society restored the house and still owns and runs it. The collections cover more than 300 years, from the Turner family's oak furniture and tapestries to Rossetti's furniture, pieces designed by Philip Webb, Morris family needlework and works by Rossetti, Burne-Jones, Durer and Breughel.

Hoogtepunten

• Home of William Morris from 1871 to 1896
• Furniture and needlework of the Morris family
• Rare group of furnishings associated with Rossetti
• Works by Rossetti, Burne-Jones, Durer and Breughel
• Gardens and meadows beside the Thames
• Learning Barn and a new exhibition each summer

Vaste collectie

• The manor house and its collections – Rooms furnished with the Turner family's oak furniture and tapestries, Rossetti's furniture, pieces designed by Philip Webb and Morris family textiles and paintings.

Beheerder

Society of Antiquaries of London

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Prices for 2026 without the Gift Aid donation; with Gift Aid an adult pays £17.25, a concession £11.55 and a family £39.75. Entry to the gardens, meadows, tearoom and shop is free, and donations are welcome. Timed tickets are for entry to the manor house only. Half of the tickets can be bought online in advance and half on the day at the ticket office. Members of Historic Houses enter free and Art Fund National Art Pass holders pay half the standard price; neither can book online. Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries and Friends of Kelmscott Manor enter free. National Trust membership is not accepted.

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: geen informatie
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

There is step-free access to the ground floor of the house, the gardens, tearoom and shop. For visitors who cannot reach the upper floors there is a 360 degree virtual tour on a tablet and a large print folder in the Old Kitchen. The car park is 644 m from the manor, with Blue Badge parking, and a free electric shuttle bus carries 4 to 6 people and one non-motorised wheelchair. Two manual wheelchairs can be hired at the ticket office; visitors with motorised wheelchairs may be asked to transfer to a manual chair because of narrow doorways. One accessible toilet is next to the Entrance Barn. Sensory bags for visitors with special educational needs, a visual story and 'take a break' cards are available. Guide dogs and assistance dogs are allowed everywhere.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Verschoonruimte

Families can explore the manor with the help of the Strawberry Thief and his friends, play outdoor games in the grounds and take part in crafts in the Learning Barn. Free, family-friendly drop-in workshops run through the open season. Baby changing is in the large cubicle of the women's toilets. Children under 17 must stay with their parents or guardians on site.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The manor is 3 miles from Lechlade and signposted from the A417 and the A4095; follow the brown heritage signs to the car park. There is a private mooring on the Thames, and visitors also arrive by bicycle or on foot along the Thames Path.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Restaurant: niet aanwezig
• Museumwinkel
• Wifi

Free Wi-Fi is available. The licensed tearoom, in an old stable barn beside the tea lawn, serves cakes, scones, cream teas and light lunches, made with ingredients from the manor garden and local suppliers. The gift shop in the former granary sells books, homeware, stationery and local crafts and is open on public open days. Some picnic benches on the tea lawn are wheelchair accessible.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

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