Merton Abbey became the powerhouse of creativity in William Morris designs, and at a time when Morris designs were at the peak of their popularity. The design workshop had originally been accommodated within the Wardle factory, however Morris was becoming increasingly frustrated with aspects of this business and decided to seek out his own premises in order to pursuer the peace and tranquillity of space that artists need in order to breathe energy and inspiration into their work. The lack of space to create and challenges with the Wardle business had in some respects de motivated one of the best known designers in Britain. His requirements for the new factory included endless supplies of soft water and plenty of natural light so when Merton Abbey was discovered by William de Morgan as a potential site for pottery, Morris viewed the site and found it an ideal spot for his creative talents.



An Inspirational Find

The factory at Merton Abbey was originally constructed in the eighteenth century for Huguenot silk throwers and then became a print works. Just prior to the takeover by Morris the factory had been operated by Welch Brothers, as a calico printers. Standing on a seven acre site the factory had a supply of water from the River Wandle which turned the water wheel and proved ideal for madder dyeing. The property had an orchard as well as a vegetable garden and offices. The workshops themselves were red bricked two storey buildings and proved easily adaptable to glass painting, fabric weaving, tapestry weaving, and block printing.

Artists require space and tranquillity in order to think creatively and to be inspired. The natural beauty and freshness of Merton Abbey gave Morris the impetus to begin designing once more. From working in the dye house on indigo dyeing experiments to creating some of the most prolific and captivating of his designs, the Merton Abbey Works and Morris spun into action once more. One of the features of Merton Abbey was its ability to diversify in producing beautifully crafted furnishings and dyes.

The Creative Nature of the Staff

Morris trained his dye house staff as few were already experienced. They developed skills to work in the industry and were paid on piece work. Within the hierarchy of the factory the foreman and colour-mixer were rated highly. One young by, John Smith started out as an errand boy and when he became too big for this role Morris trained him in dyeing and eventually John Smith rose through the ranks to chief dyer.

With an increased interest in religious tapestries during the nineteenth century Merton Abbey became the hub at the centre of a number of commissions for church furnishings. Three of Edward Burne-Jone's designs proved very popular at this time. Angeli Ministrantes and Angeli Laudantes were first designed for Salisbury Cathedral in 1878 as stained glass windows and are now in different formats. With the original tapestries being woven in 1894 smaller panels were used in a variety of church decorations.

Morris and Co's most popular religious tapestry was The Adoration of the Magi, originally woven for Exeter College, Oxford. The tapestry has been described as, “so perfect, indeed, in every detail, that there is nothing left to desire, and one feels inclined to linger over it until its perfections have been fully grasped.”

Tapestry Conservation

Morris and Co were also known for their tapestry conservation techniques at Merton Abbey. It is known that missing areas of historical tapestries were replaced with sections woven at Merton Abbey, a now defunct technique. Bread was used to clean tapestry as it was felt to be less damaging, and absorbed a fair amount of dirt. Cleaning and re hanging tapestries occupied other sections of the Merton Abbey workforce with staff travelling to stately homes such as Woburn Abbey to work on site in conservation.

The 1929 recession and the Second World War finally took its tool on Morris and Co as tapestry weaving became more time consuming and therefore less financially viable. With a lack of work the war eventually sealed the fate of Morris and Coo and the receivers were called in during 1940.

Despite the financial crisis the designs created in Merton Abbey and the tapestry weaving are still in evidence today and remain very popular. Floral patterns reflecting the love of nature that Morris had have stood the test of time and remain a creative legacy of the Arts and Crafts Movement.