William Morris
William Morris was one of Hammersmith’s most famous former residents. The Local Studies Library (at Hammersmith Library) holds a very large and important collection of his printed books and other material related to his life and work.
What is not so well known by devotees of his art are his very strong socialist beliefs and the role he played in the local Hammersmith Socialist world. Morris joined the Democratic Federation, soon to be renamed the Social-Democratic Federation, in January 1883, and from then until his death in 1896 he propagandised and agitated ceaselessly for the Socialist cause. The Coach House of Morris’s riverside Hammersmith home became an iconic meeting place for Socialists, a place where every Socialist leader must have spoken.
The William Morris Society is presenting a small but important exhibition of some of his writings, pamphlets and photographs that highlight his important contribution to the Socialist movement in the late 19th century and his enduring influence.
How we might live: William Morris’s Socialism
Kelmscott House, London W6 9TA
1 November 2014 – 31 January 2015
Free admission.
Opening times: Thurs & Sat, 2.00 – 5.00pm or by appointment.
Nearest tube: Hammersmith/Ravenscourt Park
[Maya]
LBHF Libraries and Archives 