5 Things you didn’t know about Philip Webb

1st March 2020

Philip Speakman Webb, born January 1831 in Oxford, Webb is often referred to as the ‘father’ of the Arts & Crafts movement along with Morris. He is well renowned for his architecture – comfortable, unpretentious yet stunningly beautiful country homes, he also designed interiors too including furniture, wallpaper, stained glass and tapestries.

We thought you might want to learn more about him with our 5 lesser known facts about Philip Webb.

Growing up

For his early life, Webb grew up in Oxford. He studied in Northamptonshire and trained under John Billing, an architect in Reading who specialised in traditional building repairs. He then became a junior assistant for the office of G.E. Street, where William Morris was also working, sparking a friendship that would be both personal and business for the rest of their lives. Within this office, they were working on the architecture of churches in Oxford.

Moris & Webb

Together, Morris and Webb founded Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. in 1861 and also, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings in 1877.

Red House

The first commission Webb had was Red House in Bexleyheath Kent. This is a really famous home because it belonged to Morris and is incredibly beautiful, yet characteristically unpretentious and informal. Designed in 1859, Webb used contrasting materials which, as with lots of their projects both together and separately, had a respect for the site and for local traditions and crafts. The style pointed towards 20th century Functionalism in the bold and frank use of materials which exposed structural elements. He also designed Standen, an incredibly stunning arts-and-crafts property with Morris interiors. Today it’s a grade 2 listed building which is owned by the National Trust, it’s well worth a visit. His style is distinct, incredibly original, his work arguably became the germ of modernism as though he took influence from the Gothic Revival movement, he didn’t let this steer him and instead, he almost mixed styles and created his own. He chose comfortable and traditional, he didn’t move too much towards the Victorian elaborate designs nor the Gothic styles, he does tend to use traditional English styles with the red brick (Red House) sash windows, Tudor like chimneys etc. but you can definitely tell his influence when you look at his work as a portfolio.

Personal life

It’s known that he adored a girl in the 1860s, but it’s not known who she is and he never married. He told friend S.C. Cockerell during his later years that he could not afford to keep a wife, according to Oxford Dictionary of National Biography – if he had chosen to push forward with his own practice, that might have been different. It’s been documented that he told Dante Gabriel Rossetti that anyone who wished, “to follow art with advantage to the world and with hope of competing with art before” had “very severe in the liability of disturbance from collateral courses, such as payment, popularity – position” because whilst these were not “of necessity ruinous to art” often, they “ruin the workman.” (Webb to Rossetti, 21 May 1866, in the G. W. Taylor to Webb letters, V&A). It’s clear in these letters, what a passion architecture was, over riding everything else, including money or marriage to his unidentified love.

Later life

The latter years of Webb’s life, by 1899, he was in poor health and losing money. He couldn’t afford to build a property for himself based on his savings, and so he accepted a rental from his friend William Scawen Blunt at a low price. He handed over his architecture practice to chief assistant George Jack, he moved in Jan 1901 to Caxtons, where he spent his retirement comfortably. He continued to enjoy nature as he clearly did throughout his life, creating many of the birds and other elements of nature for Morris’s work. He developed rheumatism and so he wasn’t able to go ahead working on passion projects as much as intended during his retirement, creating artefacts, but he did lots of work on house and garden, attended SPAB meetings and in 1915, passed away peacefully.

Philip Webb may not have financially left lots, but his legacy is vast. That’s in terms of his work with SPAB, his architecture, his collaborations with Morris, much of his work for Morris & Co. and Standen is now owned by the National Trust and furniture he designs is showcased in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

There’s so much to learn about Webb, we absolutely loved writing this to hopefully shed more light onto his life. If you want to read more of our blogs about key figures of this era, please read more of our blog!

We used this Oxford Dictionary of National Biography website as a reference point if you’d like to learn more.

Halloween but make it chic ✨ We love that our William Morris tablecloths can be dressed for every season, one purchase styled various ways year round 🌱☀️🍂❄️
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#strawberrythief #williammorris #williammorrisdesign #halloween #autumntablescape

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Happy Halloween! 🎃 Use code; TREAT on our website for the last day of 15% off 👻 Don’t these colours just work together beautifully, our licensed William Morris Mallow Forest Green was a new colour way we brought out last Christmas, and we’ve used all year round it’s the perfect green ✨
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#williammorris #wmorris #williammorrisdesign #floraldesigns #autumntable

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Team matching or team mix and match? 👻👇

Our napkins come in packs of 4, but if you’re a maximalist at heart, have a look at our sale section. We have packs of 1 and 2, so you can build your own beautifully mismatched set 🌸🎃

Shop via the link in bio.

#williammorris #maximalisthome #tablescape #halloweentable #laurasbeau

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Cotton or heavyweight cotton? Here’s how to choose 🧵✨

All of our fabrics are licensed William Morris designs, digitally printed here in the UK. We offer two weights, so you can pick the right one for your project:

🌿 Cotton
Lighter, softer and easy to sew. It drapes beautifully and is perfect for:

- Dressmaking, like skirts, blouses and shirts
- Quilting and patchwork
- Pillowcases and bedding
- Bunting, lavender bags and small crafts
- Lightweight curtains

🌿 Heavyweight cotton
Thicker and sturdier, It holds its shape and stands up to light upholstery use, so it’s ideal for:

- Cushion covers
- Curtains and roman blinds
- Light upholstery, like chair seats and headboards
- Tote bags and aprons
- Tablecloths and placemats

Not sure which you need? Send us a message and we’ll happily help 💛

Shop by the half metre via the link in bio.
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#williammorrisfabric #cottonfabric #upholsteryfabric #quiltingfabric #laurasbeau

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Re-introducing Charlotte Rose 🌹

Our very own design, taken from our French archive of late 1800s to early 1900s prints. We fell in love with these delicate sprigs of tumbling roses and just had to bring them back to life 💕

You can buy her ready-made as a tablecloth and napkins, or by the half metre if you’d like to make something of your own 🧵

Pretty, romantic, and made for long lunches and special occasions 🥂 Link in bio to shop. #charlotterose #frenchvintage #floraltablecloth #tablescape #laurasbeau

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Your Strawberry Thief, cut to order ✂️🍓

Every order is measured and cut to order. We sell it by the half metre, so it’s ideal for small projects or big makes. It’s a licensed William Morris design, digitally printed in the UK ✨

Order yours via the link in bio 💛

#strawberrythief #williammorris #fabricbythemetre #sewingfabric #laurasbeau

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Who else loves making their own cards and gifts? ✂️🧵

This sweet anniversary bunny was made with little scraps of our William Morris fabric. It’s proof that even the smallest offcuts can become something really special 💛

With Halloween around the corner and Christmas not far behind, now’s the perfect time to get crafting 🎃🎄 Think appliqué cards, fabric gift tags, lavender bags, bunting, Christmas tree decorations and pretty wrapping for presents 🎁

A handmade gift will always mean so much with the thought and time gone into it, but be sure to start well in advance so you’re not frantically sewing on Christmas Eve! ✨

What are you making this season? Let us below 👇 #handmadecards #fabriccrafts #williammorris #handmadechristmas #laurasbeau

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Ever wondered why our fabrics look so good up close? 🔍✨

Every one of our William Morris designs is digitally printed and manufactured right here in the UK, and here’s why we love it:

🎨 Incredible detail. Every tiny petal, berry and feather comes out crisp and true to the original design. The colours are consistent and gorgeous.
🌈 Rich, accurate colours that stay just as vibrant as the artwork intended when Morris designed them
🌿 Kinder to the planet. Digital printing typically uses far less water than traditional methods, and we print in smaller batches, so there’s less waste.
🇬🇧 Supporting British makers. A shorter supply chain means we keep skills, jobs and quality close to home.

It’s a modern way to bring timeless designs into your home 💛

Shop via the link in bio. #digitalprinting #madeinbritain #williammorris #sustainablefabric #laurasbeau

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Autumn is in full swing at ours 🍂

We’ve brought the season indoors with blackberries, rosehips and the last of the hydrangeas, set against our Strawberry Thief fabric. This licensed William Morris design is digitally printed and manufactured in the UK 🇬🇧

Those cheeky little thrushes look right at home among the berries! 🐦🍓

Shop via the link in bio 💛 Three sizes of tablecloth available - 147cm round, 132 x 178cm and 132 x 229cm ☺️. #strawberrythief #williammorris #autumntablescape #madeinuk #laurasbeau

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What are you all dressing up as for Halloween? This was last years costume for Bertie, what can he be this year? 🎃🖤

He’s lounging on our Compton fabric, a licensed William Morris design printed in the UK. A pumpkin with good taste!

Tell us your costume plans below 👇#halloweendog #blacklab #williammorris #comptonfabric #laurasbeau

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What would you make with this fabric? 🧵

Our Golden Lily heavyweight fabric is a licensed William Morris print, printed in the UK, and it’s a dream to sew with. Cushion covers, roman blinds, tote bags, a reupholstered chair… tell me in the comments what you`d make👇

Available now, we sell it by the half metre for £13.25

#sewingproject #upholsteryfabric #williammorris #printedinuk #laurasbeau

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Setting up for an evening of crafting ✂️ These 20cm x 20cm squares we sell as bundles of 5 fabric pieces, they’re perfect for smaller crafts, what would you make from them? 🪡🧵
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#crafting #girlscraftnight #craftnight #fabricstash #williammorris

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Cosy Sunday season is here 🕯️ anyone else constantly got a candle burning and a grazing board on the table at the moment? 🎃
On the table, we’ve got our beautiful Mallow Wine licensed William Morris design, a staple year round but especially this time of year 🤍
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#williammorris #williammorrisdesign #onthetable #tablescape #florals

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October is for treating ourselves all month right? 👻 On the table is our gorgeous William Morris licensed Mallow Wine design, this time of year it’s rarely off the table! 🤍
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#williammorris #autumntable #autumntablescape #countrykitchen #wmorris

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A fabulous way to display your best new tea towel; a tea towel bow 🎀 I’ve been doing these a lot lately, but I’m so excited for how festive they’ll look for the coming season! ✨
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#williammorris #wmorris #strawberrythief #smallbusiness #countrykitchen

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We’re making some new fat quarter bundle sets for the website, let us know any combinations you’d like to see! ✨ We know lots of quilters like colour combos to match, do you prefer like colours or clashing? 🫶🏻
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#williammorris #wmorris #fatquarters #fatquarterbundles #quilterofinstagram

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Autumn gardens are upon us! 🍂 anyone else just constantly brushing up leaves? 🙆🏽‍♀️ These Compton William Morris tea towels are our favourites this time of year, the digital print on them is so crisp 👌🏼
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#williammorris #compton #cottagekitchen #farmhousekitchen #autumngarden

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New product! 🩷 Our Charlotte Rose French floral design is so beautiful, it’s from our French floral archive and we’ve just decided to do tea towels in it in time for the season of gifting 🎁 £10.99 each, available now on our website ✨
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#frenchflorals #frenchstyle #countrykitchen #countrystyle #countrystylehome

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Bringing back the pumpkin napkin fold 🎃 Anyone want a tutorial on how to do it? ⭐️
This is our licensed William Morris Compton design, isn’t it gorgeous 🍂
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#williammorris #williammorrisdesign #compton #autumntable #napkinfolding

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All printed in the UK, these are the licensed William Morris designs we cut today- can you name them all? ✨
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #fabrics #wmorris #smallbusiness

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5 Things you didn’t know about Philip Webb

Growing up

Moris & Webb

Red House

Personal life

Later life

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