Welcome to Kelmscott Manor

About the Manor

Kelmscott Manor was the inspirational Cotswold retreat of William Morris and his family, friends and colleagues. When Morris first saw the Manor in 1871, he was delighted by this 'loveliest haunt of ancient peace'; he signed a joint lease for the property with his friend and colleague Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the Pre-Raphaelite artist.

Visitor Information

From April to October, you can visit us every Wednesday and Saturday, 11.00am to 5.00pm. Last admission to the Manor House 4pm. In addition to visiting the Manor house and gardens, you can explore our licensed Tea Room and lovely gift shop. You can download our beautiful map to help you find your way around.

From November to March, the Manor is 'put to bed'. During this time, the Manor is not open to the public. The time is often used for major conservation, development or maintenance works, and objects from the Manor are frequently loaned to temporary exhibitions throughout the UK and around the world.

Plan Your Visit >

What's on at Kelmscott Manor

We always have great programme of events for visitors throughout the spring, summer and autumn! Check the 'What's On' page before you visit to learn about special events or workshops that may enhance your trip.

See What's On >

'A Heaven on Earth...'

Morris loved the house as a work of true craftsmanship, totally unspoilt and unaltered, and in harmony with the village and the surrounding countryside. He considered it so natural in its setting as to be almost organic, it looked to him as if it had "grown up out of the soil"; and with "quaint garrets amongst great timbers of the roof where of old times the tillers and herdsmen slept". Its beautiful gardens, with barns, dovecote, a meadow and stream, provided a constant source of inspiration for Morris until his death in 1896. After his death, his wife Jane purchased the house, and his daughter, May, spent much of her adult life there. The entire family—William and Jane Morris and their children, Jenny and May—are buried in the grounds of nearby St George's church. The village of Kelmscott also contains cottages designed by Webb and Gimson as well as the Morris Memorial Hall (also Gimson), all of which have associations with the Morris family.

Visitors today can still experience the beauty and seclusion that inspired many of William Morris's most important designs and writings and influenced his ideas on conservation for both the built and natural environments. This seventeenth-century, Grade 1 listed Manor house on the river Thames—perhaps the most evocative of all the houses associated with Morris—contains an outstanding collection of the possessions and works of Morris, as well as of his family and associates (Benson, Burne-Jones, Rossetti and Webb among them) that includes furniture, original textiles, pictures and paintings, carpets, ceramics and metalwork. The estate also boasts a beautiful garden with easy access to the Thames Pathway, as well as a licensed Tearoom and Shop.

Awards and Honours

Kelmscott Manor has full Accreditation under the Accreditation Scheme from Arts Council England.

Visit the Society of Antiquaries of London's 'Museum Policies' page to learn more about Accreditation and our collections care policies.

Kelmscott Manor receives more than 20,000 visitors a year. Cotswolds Tourism named it the Small Visitor Attraction of the Year - 2014 (Gold Award) and it was put on the shortlist (5 out of 350 nominations) as the UK's Most Inspiring Museum or Heritage Attraction by the M+H Awards and Guardian Culture Pros Network.

Kelmscott Manor is owned and managed by the Society of Antiquaries of London. The Society is committed to a sustainable future for Kelmscott Manor.

Download and read our Conservation Management Plan, or visit the Kelmscott Manor 'Past, Present and Legacy' page for more information.