Arts and Crafts Movement
Multi Centre Tour Idea
There is so much that links London, The Cotswolds and Cumbria in their combined historical culture and heritage, which includes the Arts and Crafts Movement but equally they are very different places to visit. Geographically, Cumbria, in the very north east of England shares a border with Scotland. The Cotswolds, often called ‘ the heart of England ‘ are in the middle of the country while London lies to the south.
If you have the time on your holiday to explore England you really should try to combine at least 2 of these wonderful places if not all 3! We have a few ideas for you to look at.
The Arts and Crafts Movement
Fine art is that in which the hand, the head, and the heart of man go together.
John Ruskin, ‘The Cestus of Aglaia, the Queen of the Air’, 1870
The Arts and Crafts Movement emerged over a hundred and fifty years ago, in the late 19th century. It celebrated the traditional skills and individual craftmanship of artisans, designers and architects.
Many people at that time recognized that the rapid industrialization taking place in Britain, while having benefits, was causing a way of life, their heritage, to disappear.
John Ruskin, theorist, philosopher, artist was one of the first to acknowledge this and greatly influenced William Morris, who was a British textile designer, poet, novelist, translator, and socialist activist . They are often referred to as the grand-father and father, respectively, of The Arts and Crafts Movement.
Arts and Crafts Movement Tours
Our Arts and Crafts Movement tours cover London, The Cotswolds and The Lake District, Cumbria. They can be taken individually or together. There is so much to see in all 3 places including England’s finest examples of Arts & Crafts architecture which embraces traditional craft skills in an age of increasing mechanisation and mass production.
Multi Centre: 7 days tour. Enquire Here.
London.
The Victoria and Albert Museum with its Arts and Crafts collections has to be part of this, followed by lunch or tea in their Luncheon rooms, it is a must. Wonderful houses such as Leighton House with its Arabic themed mosaic floors and tile covered walls, The eclectic décor of Linley Sambourne House, Emery Walker House, famous for its William Morris interiors. The London itinerary can include trips out of London to see William Morris’s first home The Red House for a guided tour and Standen which is owned by The National Trust.
Regent Street London
The Cotswolds.
The beautiful rolling hills and villages of The Cotswolds were where many of the leaders of the Arts and Crafts movement settled, including William Morris. Traditional style still thrives in The Cotswold. You will visit the picturesque towns of Chipping Campden and Cheltenham. Hidcote Hall with its fantastic Art and Crafts gardens. The lovely village of Broadway to visit the Gordon Russell Design Museum and of course Broadway Tower as well as other houses and gardens tucked away in the countryside.
Broadway Tower, The Cotswolds
The Lake District
John Ruskin lived at Brantwood on Coniston Water, in The Lake District. Brantwood is now open to the public and the house and gardens overlooking Coniston are well worth a visit. Blackwell House in Bowness-on Windermere described as ‘a perfectly preserved snapshot of early 20th-century living’ is an important place to visit. Designed by noted architect Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott, this Grade I listed building is one of the UK’s finest examples of the Arts & Crafts architecture.
