The Drawing Room
The Drawing Room is a much lighter room than the Dining Room and is also furnished with a table and chairs. Much of the furniture was Philip Webb’s office furniture – the glazed cupboard in the middle has keys on a key ring which is still engraved “P. WEBB No. 1. RAYMOND BUILDINGS”, Webb’s office in Gray’s Inn.
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On the opposite wall either side of the fireplace are a pair of earlier cabinets designed by Webb for himself and were made by Morris & Co. They contain some of the most precious objects in the House, as they did in Emery’s time. Inside is very rare glass designed by Webb for Powells of Whitefriars. Webb designed medieval style goblets especially for Morris and his wife Jane when they married and moved into Red House, Bexleyheath, which he had also designed for them.
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The small room adjoining the drawing room was used as an extension to the drawing room until 1960, at which point it was turned into a bathroom by Dorothy Walker, it still retained the original Morris wallpaper and curtains. As part of the Arts & Crafts Hammersmith project, which aims to make the House and its Collection more accessible to the public, this has become a small exhibition space where visitors have the opportunity of finding out more about the Arts & Crafts movement in Hammersmith and of handling items in the Collection.
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Look out for
Salt cellars and teapot
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The salt cellars and Wedgwood black basalt teapot once belonged to Dante Gabriel Rossetti. He had an affair with Jane Morris in the 1870s and they lived together in a miserable ménage a trois at Kelmscott Manor. One day Rossetti stormed out, presumably leaving his salt cellar and teapot.
Powell jugs
Set of three bellied cream jugs in different sizes, decorated by Alfred and Louise Powell with ‘EW’ and ‘DW’ at the top. On the base it says: ‘AP LP Daneway House 1922’
May Morris portrait
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The portrait of May Morris is by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, her father’s friend and collaborator since student days. May was a close friend of the Walkers and lived next door at 8 Hammersmith Terrace for 30 years.
Carpets and rugs
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Don't forget to look down at the many fine floor coverings. This shows four examples including a faded William Morris carpet (bottom left) and a fine early-20th-century Persian rug, which has a crimson field within a flowerhead meander border. The blue flat weave Morris & Co carpet bearing the Tulip & Lily design is believed to have belonged to Morris.
Wedgwood Cotswold charger
This was hand painted by Alfred and Louise Powell. It features Walker's second home, Daneway, and was made especially for him. The Powells also painted the three jugs, on the table, and dedicated them with the initials “EW”.
Powell’s hand painted plate
This plate illustrates the riverside garden here at Emery Walker’s House.
