FAQs

Your Cart

Close
Paper Plane Your order qualifies for free standard delivery
Subtotal £0.00
Delivery £0.00
Order Total £0
Checkout Securely

Philip Webb; Born on this Day

12th January 2019

Born on the 12th January 1831, Philip Webb was born in Oxford. One of eleven children, he showed an appreciation and interest in architecture from an early age. Beautiful Oxford served him with a wealth of inspiration with the cottages and churches. His interest in preserving these buildings began in 1852 – there was plans to alter the spire of St Mary’s Church in Oxford. The battle to preserve historic buildings to their former glory in an authentic way carried on the rest of his life and served as one of his main passions. Just like William Morris, he had no interest in ruining the buildings by modernising them with restoration.

Webb met Morris when Morris was 22 and Webb 25. The pair met at the office for Gothic Revivalist G.E Street. Street was the architect for London’s Law Courts where Morris and Webb took training following university. It was here he met Morris. They became close as friends and also colleagues. Webb referred to Morris, “the best man” he ever knew which shows the affection between the two. When comparing their interests on paper, it’s not hard to see why the two were firm friends; their love of the arts, the English countryside, the buildings and their passion for their conservation.

You may often see that Webb is referred to as the ‘father’ of the Arts & Crafts movement. The movement came as a reaction to Victorian Industrialisation. Industrialisation is famous for killing the skills of traditional craftsmanship as the machinery takes away the methods of productions that was passed down through the years. The movement was keen to revive traditional methods of producing art for both buildings and furnishings. Webb was also the co-founder of SPAB; Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.

Adding to his list of work and achievements; along with friends Morris, Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, he helped established the interior decorating and furnishing business. Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. which was later dissolved and then established as Morris & Co. Following Morris’ marriage to Jane, Morris commissioned Philip Webb to build their marital home, Red House in Bexleyheath.

Red House is named after the red brick that it’s built from; so different from the fashion of stucco villas of the time but stunning in both it’s build and design. It was when they were furnishing in the house that the idea for the Firm was born. Realising that there was no home textiles that fit with the property nor were well made up to a standard he would have liked, they decided to create their own. The Firm wanted to create pieces that were works of art and were created using traditional methods.

Webb’s influences are visibly the English Countryside. It’s documented that his father took him for numerous trips to the countryside as a child and we can see this through his art. He is famous for drawing some of the elements in William Morris’ designs including the birds and rabbits within Brother Rabbit. The detail within the animals are extraordinary and we license this design and love to see Webb’s addition to the design. His father always encouraged his artistic talents and secured him a tuition from Mrs Richardson who was a skilled botanical artist.

For hobbies, as well as his art, he also loved horses, riding and keeping them he even designed stables for them. From being a young child until he died, he kept horses. When the time came that he was too restricted by his rheumatism to ride, he watched them run in the field behind his home.

Red House was indeed a showcase of Webb’s talents and following this he received many high profile commissions. These included but were not limited to, No.1 Palace Green and No.19 Lincoln’s Inn Fields in London. Also, Smeaton Manor in North Yorkshire and Joldwynds in Surrey. Adding to his list of achievements, he was the only Pre-Raphaelite to design a Church. In 1878, he designed St. Martin’s Church in Brampton – including a stained glass window set designed by Edward Burne-Jones.

Having been fans of Philip Webb’s work for years, his genius is clear. Visiting Red House alone – which we really recommend you do if you have the opportunity – his talent is clear. His work may remain under rated, but he’s still considered one of Britain’s most important architects; a title he absolutely earns. Not only influencing the architecture here in England but also overseas in the United States. We also have to thank him – and Morris – for always throwing their passions into preserving England’s beautiful gothic architecture which we remain such admirers of.

You can view our Brother Rabbit design here to see more of the beautiful design he drew.

Posted in News by Laura

Share: Facebook Twitter

Related Articles

Post Title

St George’s Church, Kelmscott

The lovely St George's church at Kelmscott was just a short walk from Kelmscott Manor, where William Morris spent his summers. Morris was known for...

Post Title

William Morris Crib

I thought you may like to see the wonderful crib that Ruth lined with our William Morris Mallow pale green fabric. We now print the...

Post Title

Charles Fairfax Murray

Charles Fairfax Murray (1849-1919) was a talented artist, writer, bibliophile and art collector who worked closely with William Morris, John Ruskin and many of the...

Our William Morris Lily design is back in stock! 🤍 A gorgeous design especially this spring/ summer it’s a timeless design we adore year after year 🌿
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #fabric #florals #preraphaelite #floraldesign #smallbusiness #supportsmall
Is it just us or does anyone else come across an old photo and get upset that the cake is now gone? 🍰
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisfabrics #strawberrythief #fabrics #teatowel #preraphaelite #emmabridgewater
Lay the table with us for Easter dinner 🐰 These rabbit napkin folds are so simple yet effective, will you give them a go this weekend? 🐣
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #fabric #florals #floraltable #napkinfold #napkinfolding #napkinfoldingideas #brotherrabbit #easternapkin
Us 🤝 simple napkin folding 🎀
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisfabrics #fabric #fabrics #williammorrisfabricdesign #design #afternoontea #daisy #preraphaelite
A really simple napkin fold for your Easter table! 🐣 We used a napkin ring but you could use ribbon or twine, whatever you’ve got! 🐰
Just fold the napkin into a triangle and roll up from the point until you can fold it in half to make the ears 🐇 You could put a little creme egg in there as an extra treat 🤎
•
•
•
#napkinart #napkinfolding #napkinfolding #williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #eastertable #eastertablescape #fabrics #easter2025🐰🐥☀️🍹
Hopping into Easter week with a fab 10% off our website, just use code: EASTER on our website 🐣
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisprint #morris #willowbough #floraldesign #florals #easternapkin #eastertable #eastertablescape
Have you seen our new remnants and bundle section on our website? 🪡 Perfect for quilting, sewing and crafting, they’re all in varying sizes and we’ll keep it constantly updated 🧵
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #crafting #fabriccrafts #quilter #quiltersgonnaquilt #quiltlife #sewsewsew #sewersgonnasew #fabricremnants
Layering florals on florals this Spring 🪻🌷
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #morris #fabric #fabricaddict #pimpernel #floraldesigns #spring #springtable
The start of the Easter tablescapes this weekend 🐣 We cant resist a little rabbit napkin, so easy and so effective we can post a reel on how to do the napkin fold! 🐰 This is our pvc fabric in William Morris Brother Rabbit red which is perfect for on the table as it simply wipes clean so isn’t an issue for any spills 🧼 
We know that seasonal tablescapes whilst looking amazing can often seem really expensive on Instagram so we wanted to prove that with a simple napkin fold and a few little inexpensive decor bits it can be wonderfully seasonal yet affordable and used every year - the carrots are from @poundland and the cute little sheep are from @sainsburys 🐑
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #fabric #florals #floraldesign #pvcfabric #pvctablecloth #eastertable #eastertablescape #eastertablesetting #easter2015
Spring has truly sprung this week and we’re looking forward to Easter 🐣 Our William Morris Daisy was looking gorgeous on the table with a little Easter treat 🐰
•
•
•
#napkinart #easteregg #easterdecor #williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #floralfabric #printedintheuk #preraphaelite #artandcraftsmovement
One of the crafters among us couldn’t help but steal some of our new designs from work to create a gorgeous quilted bag from all our original designs to take to Chicago with them on holiday 🤍 For all of us back home in Yorkshire we’re a little jealous seeing all the holiday snaps of the bag round the city! ✨ All these designs are now available on our website 🥰
•
•
•
#quilted #quiltedbag #quiltedbags #quiltersgonnaquilt #quiltlife #sewersofinstagram #sewallthethings #whatimade #whatimadetoday #chicago #blossomtree #smallbusiness #ukbusiness #patchwork #patchworkbag
It’s back in stock!! 🍓 Our cotton Strawberry Thief blue licensed William Morris design is now back in stock - and digitally printed 🌿 We hope you can tell how crisp the design is from this video, the details within the design are so clear in the digital print which is fabulous becuase there’s so many beautiful details within all Morris designs 🎨
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #fabric #florals #floraldesign #fabrics #strawberythief #quiltingfabric #quiltingdesigns #backinstock
The colours of Compton 😍 did you know some of our designs are now digitally printed? 🤎 digital print gives top quality printing design with a really crisp finish that brings to life the whole design and its details, of course, we’re still printing in the UK 🇬🇧
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #smallbusiness #floralfabric #quiltingfabric #florals #curtainfabric #upholsteryfabric #ukcrafters
Pack an order with us of our new quilting fabrics 🌿 These are all our exclusive designs that are now available on our website, and each beautiful design has been faithfully resorted from our French archive, we wonder what they’ll be made into 🤍
•
•
•
#quilting #quiltingfabric #fatquarterbundle #fatquarters #sewistofinstagram #sewingmakesmehappy #patchwork #patchworkquilt #smallbusiness #packanorderwithme #packanorderwithme
A tea towel hanging in the kitchen, bringing floral magic easily into the home 🌿 Can you believe William Morris designed Willow Bough in 1887? It’s such a timeless design we love imagining how many people throughout the years have chosen to have it decorating their homes 🤍 
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #morrisdesignsuk #timelessdesign #fabric #fabricstash #teatowel #teatoweldesign
Use code: birthday for 20% off our entire website 🌿 Includes our fabulous fabric by the half metre, tablewear & kitchenware 🤍 
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisstrawberrythief #morrisfabric #smallbusiness #quiltingfabric #sewingfabric #curtainfabric #fabric #fabricstash #fabriclove #floralfabric
We’re excited to announce our new range of fabrics, perfect for quilting 🪡 they are all from our exclusive French archive which dates from the late 1800s-early 1900s ⚜️ With a new range we were chatting about what to name each design, so as a female founded and run business, we decided to name them after some important women in our lives 🤍 We’re digitally printing this fabric so it’s amazing quality, but there’s limited stock of each design so let us know which designs you love ☺️
-
-
-
#smallbusiness #digitalprint #smallbizowner #quiltingfabric #quilting #frenchfloralfabric #quiltingfabrics #femalebusiness #sewersgonnasew #sewingaddict #sewingfabric #ukquiltersunited
Waiting patiently for peony season… 🫶🏻
On the table; our William Morris Willow Bough 🌿
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #willowbough #fabric #tablescape #burleighpottery #britishmade #peonyseason
Why wouldn’t we celebrate William Morris’ birthday with one of our biggest sales of the year! Hurry, it’s tonight and tomorrow only, take 20% off everything on our website with code; BIRTHDAY 🌿 
Born on this day in 1834, William Morris was an incredible talent. His designs are as timeless and popular today as ever, so long after they were designed 🎨 He also was a poet, writer and socialist activist who was involved in the arts and crafts movement and worked hard to keep traditional British textiles, he opened his own mill, Merton Abbey Mills 🌿 there’s so many interesting aspects of his life that he seemed to live many lives at once, when you’re that talented it must be hard to pick just one passion! 🌿 Happy Birthday William, thank you for all the stunning designs we print here in the UK just as he was passionate about all those years ago! 🇬🇧
•
•
•
#onthis #onthisday #williammorris #morris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #artsandcraftsmovement #preraphaelites #fatquarters