Visit to the Red House

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I talked about the Red House in Bexleyheath to Mark after visiting there with my cousin.



We decided to visit there on the Diamond Jubilee Bank Holiday on 4 June 2012.



As we approached the destination, Mark soon recognised the red-brick façade building. The reception was established at the former stable building and we were given the information of the house. Like a couple of years ago, we entered the house from the Pilgrim’s rest facing the courtyard of the L-shaped building.



Red House was the first and only home William Morris ever built and this is where he spent his married life with Janey Morris. The house was essentially designed by Philip Webb, and featured a quirky mixture of tall casements, hipped dormers, round-headed sash-windows and bull’s eye windows. Thus, we could see a complex fusion of Morris’ romantic utopianism and Webb’s practicality while looking round the house.



I showed Mark William Morris’ original wall-paintings, which he had directly painted on the wall on the passage and beautiful stained glass windows with illustrated pictures of birds and flowers.



We firstly looked at the Dining Room where Morris entertained various guests with meat dishes and French wines.



William Morris and Janey Morris lived in the Red House for only five years. Thus, many of their movable and original furnishings have gone. Nevertheless, we could see some of his decorations remaining, for instance, the Dining Dresser, which was designed by Philip Webb, the exposed red-brick fireplace, and Dutch Delft blue and white tiles decorated with scenes of daily life.



Secondly, we went upstairs through the oak staircases. I pointed at the ceiling painted with abstract patterns for Mark.



We looked round the Studio decorated with William Morris’ wall-paintings, furnished with functional L-shaped architect’s desk, which allowed the previous owner to keep documents and reference books with the slide doors. We flicked through copies of magazines related to the architecture and history of the Red House.



We then looked at Morris’ bedroom and Drawing Room. I showed Mark the murals behind the wardrobe in the bedroom and murals of wedding scenes and the ceiling on the bay window, which had the similar pattern to the lady’s skirt on the mural in the Drawing Room. We noted interest in several murals behind the panel, which have been discovered recently.



Finally, we popped in the Document Room. We leafed through the samples of William Morris’ wall-paintings which have been used widely.



June is the best month to stroll through the English Garden. After doing shopping, we went out to the garden. All of the traditional climbers, e.g. roses, white jasmines, and honeysuckles were out and those colourful flowers and lush ivies decorated the red-brick house. Red, pick, and cream roses were blooming on the arches, various herbaceous plants, e.g. geraniums, poppies, lilacs, peonies, irises, and herbal plants were thriving as well. Those flowers had lovely scents and attracted bumble bees. We also found the vegetable garden, shed, and explored the nature trail surrounded by old trees, e.g. oak, hazel, ash, and yew.

I felt a little hungry after looking round the historic house and exploring therapeutic grounds. Mark kindly treated me cream tea at the café.



We wholeheartedly enjoyed the visit to the Red House on 4 June 2012.

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