2000 WILLIAM MORRIS EVENTS IN THE UK Compiled by the William Morris Society (UK) NOTE: Unless otherwise stated, all lectures are sponsored by the William Morris Society and tke place at Kelmscott House and start at 2.15pm; tickets £3 for WMS members, £4 for non-members. Address all applications for tickets to Judy Marsden, The William Morris Society, Kelmscott House, 26 Upper Mall, Hammersmith, London W6 9TA, enclosing a stamped addressed envelope. Until 2 April 2000 Ruskin and the Book Exhibition at Victoria & Albert Museum, London. A small display at the entrance to the National Art Library in the V&A Museum, concerning John Ruskin's work in illustrating, binding and publishing books. The Seven Lamps of Architecture and a volume from The Stones of Venice will be displayed along with original illustrative material. Contact: Victoria and Albert Museum, Tel. 020-7942 2383. Thursday, 20 January 2000, 2pm Service of Thanksgiving for the Life of Ruskin At St Andrew's ChurchConiston, Cumbria. This Service will be led by Rev Mark Cannon, the vicar of St Andrew's Church, and Rt Rev Ian Hartland, the Bishop of Carlisle. It will incorporate music used at John Ruskin's funeral at this church on 25th January 1900 and at his Memorial Service in Westminster Abbey on the same day. The Address will be given by Robert Hewison, Slade Professor of Fine Art at the University of Oxford and a leading Ruskin scholar. Before the Service (13.50), a lantern will be kindled at Ruskin's grave. The children of John Ruskin School, Coniston, will give a small dramatic presentation during the Service. Afterwards (approximately 14.50), there will be a lantern procession, involving local schools, which will use Ruskin's coach and a crossing of the lake in his boat, the Jumping Jenny. Finally, there will be a reception in Brantwood, Ruskin's former home. Further details may be obtained from Rachel Benham: 015394 - 41396. Thursday, 27 January 2000, 1pm (repeated 30 January, 3pm) Re-enactment of Ruskin's 1853 Edinburgh lecture on Turner At the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. The actor Paul O'Keefe will assume the role of John Ruskin to re-enact one of his most significant lectures. Tickets are free but must be booked in advance. 0151 - 478 4178. Saturday, 29 January 2000, 2.15pm Dante Gabriel Rossetti - Painter and Poet Jan Marsh's new biography of Dante Gabriel Rossetti brings new insights into the life of this compelling, complex character. Her talk will examine Rossetti's role in Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. and consider his relationship with Jane Morris. Jan Marsh is well known as a biographer and cultural historian. Her works include Christina Rossetti: A Literary Biography, The Legend of Elizabeth Siddal and Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood: Jane and May Morris. At Kelmscott House, 26 Upper Mall, Hammersmith, London W6. Tickets £3 from William Morris Society. 10 February 2000, 1pm Recollections of Ruskin: Ruskin seen through other people's eyes Lecture at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. By Stephen Wildman, Curator of the Ruskin Library at Lancaster University. Tickets are free but must be booked in advance. 0151 - 478 4178. 31 January - 14 February 2000 John Ruskin and Croydon This exhibition at the Clocktower, Katharine Street, Croyden, Surrey, will commemorate John Ruskin's links with the market town of Croydon, his mother's home town, and its surrounding hills and hamlets. Organised by the Croydon Natural History and Scientific Society in conjunction with John Ruskin Sixth Form College. Open Tuesday - Friday, 09.00 - 18.00; Monday, 09.00 - 19.00; Saturday, 09.00 - 17.00; closed on Sunday. Admission is free. Further details may be obtained from Brian Lancaster: 020-8651-1131 (office hours) or 020 - 8668 6909 (other times). Saturday, 19 February 2000, 2.15pm Ruskin and Morris - The Art of Living A talk by Mavis Batey who will suggest that John Ruskin provided the moral authority for protecting the environment whereas William Morris inspired grass-roots campaigning; both men ahead of their time with concern for environmental stewardship. Mavis Batey is President of the Garden History Society and author of many books including Historic Gardens of Oxford, Jane Austen and the English Countryside and recently Alexander Pope. This talk will be followed by a celebratory toast to John Ruskin with Domecq sherry. At Kelmscott House, 26 Upper Mall, Hammersmith, London W6. Tickets £3 from William Morris Society. Wednesday, 23 February 2000, 7.45pm John Ruskin: Geologist and Artist in the Alps An illustrated lectureUnited Reformed Church, Addiscombe Grove. Croydon: East Croydon by Dr Cynthia Gamble, Secretary of the Ruskin Society. Admission is free and places do not have to be booked. Further details may be obtained from Brian Lancaster: 020 - 8651 1131 (office hours) or 020 - 8668 6909 (other times). Saturday, 4 March 2000, 10.15am - 5.30pm Ruskin and Architecture Conference, London: Linnean Society, Burlington House, Piccadilly.. March 4organised by the Victorian Society has seven speakers: Malcolm Hardman (Warwick University) on 'Ruskin's Architectural Vision', Chris Brooks (Exeter University) on 'Ruskin and Butterfield', Michael Hall (Country Life magazine) on 'Ruskin and Bodley', Stephen Wildman (Ruskin Library) on 'Ruskin and Morris', Peter Howell (London University) on 'The University Museum in Oxford', Aileen Reid (Sunday Telegraph) on 'Ruskin and EW Godwin' and Richard McCormac (architect) on 'The Ruskin Library, Lancaster University'. The fee is £40 (£30 for full-time students), which includes morning and afternoon tea, but not lunch. For bookings or further information, write to Rebecca Daniels, Events Organiser, The Victorian Society, 1 Priory Gardens, Bedford Park, London W4 1TT, phone 020 - 8994 1019, or e-mail events@victorian-society.org.uk. 9 March - 28 May 2000 Ruskin, Turner and the Pre-Raphaelites This major exhibition at the Tate Gallery, London, brings together more than 250 works from around the world, including masterpieces by JMW Turner, JE Millais, William Holman Hunt, D. G. Rossetti, Edward Burne-Jones and John Ruskin himself. Highlights include some recently discovered and rarely seen drawings by Ruskin; loans from the Lloyd Webber collection, the Metropolitan Museum, New York, and the Capitoline Museum, Rome; and Turner's masterpiece Slavers (1840), on loan from the Boston Museum of Fine Art. Ruskin said of this work, which he once owned: "If I were reduced to rest Turner's immortality upon a single work, I should choose this". Open daily, 10.00 - 17.50 (last admission, 17.00). Admission £6.50; concessions £4.40; family ticket £17.50. Contact: Tate Gallery, 020 - 7887 8000. Saturday, 18 March 2000, 7.30pm Ruskin, Morris and Burne-Jones An illustrated lecture by Stephen Wildman, Director of the Ruskin Library at Lancaster University.Coniston,at Brantwood, Coniston, Cumnbria. Tickets cost £4, which includes light refreshments. Prior booking is advised. Further details may be obtained from Christine Parker: 015394 - 42690. Saturday, 25 March 2000, 2.15pm Edward Johnston - Lettering Artist Peter Holliday will speak on Edward Johnston - as a thinker as well as a maker who had an immense influence on many forms of twentieth-century lettering - suggesting that Johnston participated in three important cultural developments: the Arts & Crafts Movement, Modernism and the Roman Catholic revival. There are correlations between some of their ideas and Johnston was able to contribute in all three contexts. Peter Holliday, who has worked at Ravensbourne College of Design and Ditchling Museum, is a historian of art and design and is currently studying the life and work of Edward Johnston. After the talk, we shall celebrate William Morris's birthday with wine and birthday cake. At Kelmscott House, 26 Upper Mall, Hammersmith, London W6. Tickets £3 from William Morris Society. 4 April - 18 June 2000 Ruskin's Turners Exhibition at Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. The Fitzwilliam Museum's collection of watercolours by JMW Turner was founded in 1861 by the generous gift of 25 watercolours from John Ruskin, Turner's most fervent champion and critic. This exhibition includes watercolours made for engraving, book illustration and vignettes, as well as independent landscape watercolours. Technically, they reflect the range of Turner's achievement, from the muted palette of his early architectural drawings, such as Christchurch Cathedral Canterbury (1792-93), to the group of views of rivers in France and Belgium, painted on blue paper, and landscapes which Ruskin selected to illustrate Turner's "pure mode of painting watercolours". Especially notable are the group of late Swiss watercolours, painted in the early 1840s, and two magnificent Venetian watercolours, one of which, Venice, calm at sunrise, Ruskin described as "first rate". The restrictions which Ruskin imposed on the terms of his gift mean that these works may not be lent outside the Fitzwilliam Museum. This exhibition offers a unique opportunity to view the Turner watercolours that once formed part of Ruskin's own collection. Open Tuesday - Saturday, 10.00 - 17.00; Sunday, 14.15 - 17.00. Admissionis free. Contact: Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, Tel. 01223 - 332 900 or 01223 - 332 941. Wednesday, 5 April 2000, 2pm Visit to the Ruskin Exhibition at the Tate Meet outside the Tate Gallery at 2.00 pm. This is not an organised lecture tour; rather an opportunity to see the exhibition Ruskin, Turner and the Pre-Raphaelites informally with fellow Morrisians. Members will pay the normal admission charge of 6.50 (concessions 4.50) at the entrance to the exhibition. 6 - 9 April 2000 Prophetic Ruskin Conference at Christ Church, Oxford, the college which John Ruskin attended, this conference will examine and consider his legacy to the arts, society and the environment. The fee is £295. For a brochure or to reserve a place, write to Jane Martin, The Pilkington Foundation, Yelvertoft Manor, Yelvertoft, Northamptonshire, NN6 6LF, or phone 01788 - 822 648. Saturday, 15 April 2000, 2.15pm Morris and the Icelandic Sagas: "The undying glory of dreams" Helped by the Icelandic scholar Eirikr Magnusson, William Morris translated many of these tales of endurance and heroism. Campbell Matthews will introduce the world of the sagas, explore the sources of Morris's admiration and comment on Morris's translation. Campbell Matthews is a former Head of English Studies in a craft teachers college. At Kelmscott House, 26 Upper Mall, Hammersmith, London W6. Tickets £3 from William Morris Society. Thursday, 4 May 2000 Visit to Thaxted and the working Silk Mill at Braintree, Essex A day in William Morris's home county, Essex. In the morning, we shall visit Thaxted Church and Sylvia Ayling will give a short talk on Conrad Noel (1869-1942), former vicar and pioneer Christian Socialist. After a pub lunch and a walk around Thaxted, we shall go to Braintree to visit the Humphries Weaving Company where, after a reception with tea, we shall be guided throughout the working silk mill. The visit should help us to imagine the life and work at Morris's Merton works. Our coach will leave the car park of Redbridge Station (Central Line) at 10.30 am. Numbers are strictly limited, so book early. Tickets 15 from the William Morris Society: the cost includes coach, talks, guided tours and refreshments except lunch. 5 - 7 May 2000 Pre-Raphaelite Study Weekend Organised by Chester City Council, at the Queen Hotel, Chester. with half-board accommodation in the four-star Queen Hotel, this study weekend includes guided visits to the Lady Lever Art Gallery at Port Sunlight, the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool and Sudley House at Mossley Hill, two slide lectures, and probably a lot of congenial conversation. From the itinerary, it appears to be an efficient and enjoyable way for a newcomer to Pre-Raphaelitism to gain first-hand knowledge and appreciation of many of its important art works. The cost is 189 per person if sharing a double room. There is a single room supplement of 15 per night. For more information contact: Tel. 01244 - 348 365. 11 May 2000, 1pm Ruskin and Venice A lecture at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, by Julie Lawson from the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. Tickets are free but must be booked in advance. 0151 - 478 4178. Saturday, 13 May 2000, 2.15pm The William Morris Society's 45th Annual General Meeting To be held in the coach-house of Kelmscott House. Following the AGM, David Rainger, stained glass craftsman, will talk about his work on the glass quarries which were retrieved from Sandroyd. They have recently been restored and are now displayed in Kelmscott House. Dating from 1861, these are among the earliest known examples of Morris (or Webb?) glass. Admission free. At Kelmscott House, 26 Upper Mall, Hammersmith, London W6. 13 - 26 May 2000 The Neglected Mr Benson, Pioneer of Art Nouveau Lighting Exhibition at The Country Seat, Huntercombe Manor Barn, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Famous in his own time, but much neglected since, WAS Benson (1854-1924) is now being revived in a special exhibition of his domestic pieces and examples of the now-rare counterbalanced designs which epitomise Benson's work, as well as some of his very decorative lamps and chandeliers. Benson can be regarded as a pivotal figure on the cusp between the Arts & Crafts Movement and the beginnings of Art Nouveau. William Morris commissioned much work from him, and later made him a director of Morris & Co. Benson's subtle ideas influenced other British and European designers. His lighting designs were used by Siegfried Bing (1838-1905) in his innovative gallery L'Art Nouveau in Paris (19 rue Chauchat), where Bing also exhibited Tiffany glass and stained glass by Bonnard, Vuillard and Toulouse-Lautrec, as well as Morris tapestries and wallpaper, and furniture by Van de Velde. Benson designed the lighting for the gallery itself, and exhibited his lamps and other designs, which Bing also displayed in room-settings at the great Exposition Universelle of 1900 in the Grand Palais (some of the pieces photographed there will be in Country Seat's exhibition). Benson's work was also shown, both by Bing and by the Arts & Crafts Exhibition Society, at the Turin International Exhibition of Modern Decorative Arts in 1902. Country Seat's show will include over 50 pieces by Benson which are for sale - lamps in copper and brass, candlesticks, copper kettles and thermos-lined copper coffee percolators, as well as a few pieces of his very rare furniture. Prices range from £100 to over £5,000. Some works by Benson's contemporaries Christopher Dresser and Hugh Wallis will also be on show. Contact: Tel. 01491 - 641 349. 18 May 2000, 1pm Ruskin and Brantwood A lecture at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, by Howard Hull, Director of Brantwood (John Ruskin's home in Cumbria). Tickets are free but must be booked in advance. 0151 - 478 4178. Friday, 26 May 2000 Visit to Kelmscott Manor Our coach will depart from outside the Apollo Theatre, Hammersmith (near the Underground station) at 9.30 promptly; and we expect to arrive at Kelmscott around 11.00 am. There will be time to visit St George's Church, William Morris's grave and the riverside. Either eat lunch in the Plough or bring a picnic. Guided tours of Kelmscott Manor commence at 2.00 pm. Tea (included) will be served from about 3.30 pm. The coach should arrive back at Hammersmith around 6.15 pm. Tickets from the William Morris Society: by coach 17, by car 10, the cost including admission to Kelmscott Manor. 6 June - 7 October 2000 William Morris and Textile Design:"Beauty, Imagination, and Order" Exhibition at the William Morris Gallery. Display of original designs by Morris for printed, embroidered, and woven textiles, alongside printing blocks and examples of Morris and Co.'s wide range of fabrics. The exhibition traces some of the stylistic and technical aspects of Morris's textiles from the 1860s through the 1890s. Contact: William Morris Gallery, Lloyd Park, Forest Road, Walthamstow, London E17 4PP, Tel. (0208) 527-3782. Saturday, 17 June 2000, 2.15pm Philip Webb: Architect, Artist and Friend Sheila Kirk, architectural historian and lecturer at the University of Newcastle, will describe the life and work of Philip Webb, a leading pioneer of Arts & Crafts architecture, one of William Morris's oldest colleagues and a close friend. Webb's architectural achievements include Red House and Standen. Sheila Kirk is closely involved with the Society of Architectural Historians, the Victorian Society and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. She is the author of a recent book about Philip Webb. At Kelmscott House, 26 Upper Mall, Hammersmith, London W6. Tickets £3 from William Morris Society. Wednesday, S July 2000 Following William Morris through Epping Forest Return visit to the Forest retracing the 1895 walk by Morris and friends to examine reports of damage by excessive tree felling. Our 6 mile walk starts from Loughton Station (Central Tube) at 1lam; ends at Queen Elizabeth Hunting Lodge near Chingford Station (BR) 4.30 pm. The walk will be led by Derek Baker. No pre-booking but £1 each will be collected on day. 7 - 9 July 2000 The Socialism of William Morris This event, at Fircroft College, Selly Oak, Birmingham, organised by the Socialist Party, consists of a performance and five lectures, each of which will be followed by a discussion. On Friday evening at 7.30 pm, Edwin Walters will give a performance entitled 'An Evening with William Morris', concentrating on 'How We Live and How We Might Live' to introduce the main principles of Morris's socialism. The lectures are as follows: 'The Utopian Tradition' by Stephen Coleman (Saturday, 9.30 am), 'Morris and the Romantic Movement' by Ron Cook (Saturday, 2.00 pm), 'The Stateless Society' by Richard Headicar (Saturday, 7.30 pm), 'A Dream of John Ball: Morris's other socialist novel' (Sunday, 9.30 am) and 'From "Nowhere" to Somewhere' by Stan Parker and Paddy Shannon (Sunday, 2.30 pm). Attendance at all sessions is free. Accommodation including all meals will cost £85. Contact Ron Cook for further details: Tel. 0121 - 533 1712. Saturday, 8 July 2000, 1lam to 4pm Morris Studies Day Chaired by Peter Faulkner. The day aims to give everyone the opportunity to present for discussion any reading or work they have done on Morris, his circle and related subjects: literature, embroidery, wallpaper, stained glass, politics. Informality will be the order of the day. Come along and join in this stimulating day. There is no charge for attending. It would be helpful if those wishing to contribute let Peter Faulkner know at least two weeks beforehand (c/o William Morris Society). At Kelmscott House, 26 Upper Mall, Hammersmith, London W6. 18 July 2000 to 21 January 2001 The House Beautiful: Oscar Wilde and the Aesthetic Interior Oscar Wilde was the Aesthetic Movement personified. He helped it to flourish, and when he died in November 1900, ostracised and disgraced, the Movement died with him. This exhibition locates Wilde in the context of London's cultural scene in the late nineteenth century and traces his influence in creating the notion of the "house beautiful". The effect of the Aesthetic Movement on middle-class interiors is examined in detail, with furniture, wallpapers, textiles and decorative arts displayed in the manner described in the numerous books and manuals on decoration published from the 1860s onwards, and drawing on the evidence of contemporary furnishing catalogues, photographs and paintings. At the Geffrye Museum, Shoreditch, London. Closed on Monday. Open Tuesday - Saturday, 10.00 - 17.00; Sunday, 12.00 - 17.00. Admission is free. Tel. (0207) 739 9893. 15 - 16 July 2000 John Ruskin, his Proteges and his Patronage A Ruskin symposium at Halifax Hall, University of Sheffield: exploring the r6le and involvement of Ruskin in the lives of those he assisted and with whom he worked--such as D. G. Rossetti, Elizabeth Siddal, and Edward Burne-Jones. Inlcues visit to the Ruskin Gallery and exhibition of The Portraits of John Ruskin Speakers include Peter Faulkner, Stephen Wildman, Jan Marsh. For more details write to Dawn Morris, 7 Spring Hill, Sheffield, SIO IET, Tel. 0114-266-2726, dawnmorris@supanet.com. 18 - 20 July 2000 John Ruskin: the Brantwood Years An international symposium at Bowland College, Lancaster University. organised by the Ruskin Programme at Lancaster University. The speakers will include Howard Hull on Brantwood and the Lake District, Dinah Birch on Victorian Oxford, Michael Wheeler on the Guild of St George, John Rosenberg on autobiography, Brian Maidment on publishing and readership, and Van Akin Burd with James Dearden on fifty years of Ruskin studies. The precise titles of these talks have not yet been decided. There will also probably be an outing to Abbot Hall, Kendal, where a selection of works from the Tate Gallery exhibition, Ruskin, Turner and the Pre-Raphaelites, will be on show. Contact: Ruth Hutchison, Tel. 01524 - 592 450, r.hutchison@lancaster.ac.uk. 21 - 23 July 2000 Festival Celebration at Brantwood As a tribute to the many facets of Ruskin's character and the diversity of his interest and learning, a summer centenary festival at Brantwood (Ruskin's home) in Coniston, Cumbira, will include Sarah Rodgers giving a composer's workshop on the creation of her score for The King of the Golden River, which will be performed in an evening concert followed by a cruise with dinner on the steam yacht Gondola. On the Saturday, Edward Hughes will talk about his work as a potter and in particular his special commission which will grace Ruskin's dining room throughout much of this summer. After this, a guided ramble through the Brantwood Estate will be followed by an evening gala, dinner and entertainment near the lake shore with its mountain views so loved by Ruskin. On the Sunday, a medieval-style herb garden recently created at Brantwood will be officially opened in the course of a special herb festival. A 3-day Festival Pass without accommodation costs £50; or with 2 nights' B&B accommodation costs £100; or with 2 nights' hotel accommodation costs £150. Contact: achel Benham, Tel. 015394 - 41396. Saturday, 2 September 2000, 2.15pm William Morris and the Environment Jeremy Corbyn, Member of Parliament for Islington North, will talk on Morris's attitude to the environment and production, suggesting exploitation of earth resources has disrupted nature which Morris would have deplored; the development of new sources of energy and some new technologies have often meant loss of jobs. How would Morris view the world today, we wonder? At Kelmscott House, 26 Upper Mall, Hammersmith, London W6. Tickets £3 from William Morris Society. Wednesday, 13 September 2000 Visit to Goddard & Gibbs Studios Ltd Goddard & Gibbs have been creating and restoring stained glass (including the 'Sandoyd' quarries now displayed at Kelmscott House) for over 125 years. During the visit, led by David Rainger, we will hear about the history of the firm, see glass restoration and modern glass work. Meet outside Goddard & Gibbs Studios, 41-49 Kingsland Road, London E2 , 1.45pm for 2pm. Nearest station Old Street (Northern Line). Tickets £7 (strictly limited) from William Morris Society. Saturday, 23 September 2000, 10am to lpm National Open House Day The William Morris Society participates in the National Open House Day by opening its lower ground floor premises and coach-house at Kelmscott House to visitors. If you can assist as guide or steward contact the Society (Tel. 020 8741 3735). Saturday, 23 September 2000, 2.15pm Morris, Clerkenwell & the Marx Memorial Library Tish Collins, Librarian of the Marx Memorial Library, will present an illustrated talk about the historic building on Clerkenwell Green, a centre of 19th century radicalism, where Morris spoke, which houses the impressive library dedicated to Marxism and the working class movement. At Kelmscott House, 26 Upper Mall, Hammersmith, London W6. Tickets £3 from William Morris Society.. Saturday, 7 October 2000, 2.15pm The Social Commentary of Morris and Ruskin Nick Salmon will compare as political propaganda Morris's writings in Commonweal and Ruskin's in Fors Clavigera as both attempted to influence working-class opinion. Nick Salmon is Editor of the Society's journal, has edited in two volumes Morris's Political Writings and journalism, and part authored A William Morris Chronology, and presently working on a book on Ruskin. At Kelmscott House, 26 Upper Mall, Hammersmith, London W6. Tickets £3 from William Morris Society. 17 October 2000 - 9 February 2001 Archibald Knox The first temporary exhibition at this new museum examines the work of Archibald Knox, who designed Art Nouveau pieces for Liberty. The items on show include his large pastel designs for wallpapers and furnishings, as well as examples of his work in pewter and silver, including cigarette boxes and clocks. At Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture, Cat Hill Campus, Middlesex University, London N11. Closed on Monday. Open Tuesday - Saturday, 10.00-17.00; Sunday, 14.00-17.00. Admission is free. Contact Claire Swanton for more details: Tel. 020 - 8362 5244, c.swanton@mdx.ac.uk. Saturday, 21 October 2000, 2.00-5.00pm The Big Draw Drawing Power is a new public initiative, led by the Guild of St George, with the simple but ambitious aim of getting everyone drawing. The Patrons of Drawing Power include Quentin Blake, David Hockney and Gerald Scarfe. Today is the main focus for events, when 'The Big Draw' is expected to involve more than 500 venues - from national galleries and museums to small libraries and heritage sites, from universities to village schools and local art societies. The William Morris Society, which supports the Drawing Power initiative, will participate in 'The Big Draw' by holding drop-in sessions at Kelmscott House for anyone - from complete beginners to experts - who would like to do some drawing. Artists will be on hand to demonstrate techniques or provide advice. There is no need to book a place: just turn up! At Kelmscott House, 26 Upper Mall, Hammersmith, London W6. Tuesday, 24 October 2000 Visit to the Silver Studio Collection The Silver Studio founded in 1880 supplying patterns for textiles, wallcoverings, carpets, rapidly becoming Britain's leading independent design studio with clients such as Liberty, Sandersons and Warners. Their special collection, together with many other domestic design collections, is now displayed in the new Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture at the Middlesex University. Lesley Hoskins, Curator of the Museum, will guide us round the Collection. Meet outside Cockfosters Tube (Piccadilly Line) 1.30pm, short walk. Numbers strictly limited. Tickets £3 from William Morris Society. Note: This event is fully booked. Friday, 3 November 2000, 6.30pm From art to politics: Ruskin and Morris compared 2000 KELMSCOTT LECTURE given by Lawrence Goldman. Ruskin and Morris began their careers with a dedication to art and creativity. Yet at a certain stage they turned towards social criticism and politics. The lecture will compare the artistic and social ideas of both, paying attention to their transition from art to politics, explaining why Morris called Ruskin's chapter from The Stones of Venice (The Nature of Gothic) "one of the very few necessary and inevitable utterances of the century". Lawrence Goldman is a Fellow and Tutor in Modern History at St Peter's College Oxford. At Art Worker's Guild, 6 Queen Square, WC1. Tickets £6 (incl. wine & canap6s) from William Morris Society. 11 November 2000 - 27 January 2001 The Doves Press Doves Press books have to be seen for real if one is to appreciate their use of a fine typeface on strong white paper, with the occasional letter in colour. This exhibition is chiefly drawn from the library of Emery Walker, who was the key figure behind Morris's Kelmscott Press as well as the Doves Press. Emery Walker and T. J. Cobden-Sanderson were the two partners who worked so closely on the Doves Press but then spectacularly fell out, with Cobden-Sanderson throwing the type into the Thames. Only one piece survives - for a Christmas card in 1900 - and this is included in the exhibition, along with the Doves Bible, the supreme masterpiece of the Press. At Cheltenham: Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum. Closed on Sunday. Open Monday - Saturday, except bank holidays, 10.00-17.20. Admission is free. Tel. 01242 - 237 431. Saturday, 18 November 2000, 2.15pm William Morris and Anthony Trollope in Iceland A talk by Peter Preston comparing Morris's experiences and responses to his well-known visits of 1871 and 1873 with those of Anthony Trollope who visited Iceland in 1878. Peter Preston is Senior Lecturer, School of Continuing Education, University of Nottingham and has written extensively on Elizabeth Gaskell, Arnold Bennett and D.H. Lawrence. At Kelmscott House, 26 Upper Mall, Hammersmith, London W6. Tickets £3 from William Morris Society. Thursday, 23 November 2000 A John Ruskin Day in Oxford Sonia Crutchlow will lead a walking tour of Oxford with attention to Ruskin's involvement with the City, visiting the University Museum and the Cathedral, and hopefully Keble College and the Sheldonian Theatre. Then to the Ashmolean to view the Ruskin drawings and portraits. Meet outside University Museum 1 lam. Limited numbers. Tickets £2 from William Morris Society, do not include admission charges. Saturday, 9 December 2000, 2.15pm Oscar Wilde and the Politics of the 1890s Peter Faulkner presents this centenary talk on Oscar Wilde, a flamboyant figure in the artistic and political world of Morris, until his imprisonment. Apart from lectures and essays on aesthetic matters his The Soul of Man under Socialism showed his interest in current political debates. The talk will discuss Wilde's political ideas in relation to his contemporaries, particularly William Morris. Peter Faulkner was Reader in Modern English Literature at the University of Exeter, his books include William Morris: The Critical Heritage and Against the Age: An Intoduction to William Morris. At Kelmscott House, 26 Upper Mall, Hammersmith, London W6. Tickets £3 from William Morris Society. Saturday, 30 December 2000, from 6pm Kelmscott House Holiday Party Final event of the year at Kelmscott House just a drink or two, some snacks, an opportunity to meet informally with fellow Morrisians. At Kelmscott House, 26 Upper Mall, Hammersmith, London W6. Tickets £3 from William Morris Society.At Kelmscott House, 26 Upper Mall, Hammersmith, London W6. Tickets £3 from William Morris Society. HOME · NEW · EVENTS · NEWSLETTER · SITE ARCHIVE · ABOUT THE SOCIETY MORRIS' LIFE AND WORKS · PRODUCTS · LINKS · SITE MAP · CONTACT US LAST UPDATE 4 JAN 2001 · PLEASE REPORT BROKEN LINKS TO WEBMASTER@MORRISSOCIETY.ORG