Red House: Bexleyheath, 1859

The house documented here was designed for William Morris, the founder of the British Arts and Crafts movement, and its design was heavily influenced by him. It was designed by his architect friend Philip Webb in 1858 and is one of the earliest architectural expressions of the Arts and Crafts ideal. While apparently unnoticed at the time of its construction, it nevertheless had such symbolic power that it later came to be seen as the herald of a new age of honest, truthful and democratic architecture. The book incorporates a detailed illustrated essay depicting how William Morris built the house and describing its particular features. It also contains large reproductions of Philip Webb's original drawings, a comprehensive set of current measured drawings of the house and a portfolio of 24 outsize photographs conveying what it is actually like to walk around, and through, Red House. The author has lived in the house since 1952 and has been restoring it to its original condition. It is intended equally for scholars and historians, practising architects and architectural students and lay enthusiasts. The book is part of the Architecture in Detail series. The books do not carry a contents list. The common layout of the books in the series is: essay, photographs, specially commissioned drawings, reference details (bibliography and chronology). Each of these monographs is designed to be a complete and accurate archival record and intended to be the standard reference on that building for students and scholars as well as practising architects.