On the same day that we went to the RCA show (see post below), my relatives took me up to Walthemstow, which is a small town on the outskirts of London. From there we went to Water House, which is where William Morris, the Arts & Crafts designer, lived for a time before Red House and Kelmscott Manor.
The house had been converted into a gallery (free admission), and there was a substantial amount of his work on display, including the actual woodblocks used to print his many textile designs! Also, and arguably more importantly, some examples of his book printing with Kelmscott press were on display, including a specimen sheet of his printed types – Golden Type, Troy Type and Chaucer Type.
Seeing his printed works on-screen or reproduced in books is one thing, but seeing the actual printed works up close was fantastic. At the gallery (like most around here) there was a strict no-cameras rule, but I managed to take a snapshot of the type specimens really quickly. I sure ol’ Will won’t mind.
Water House
A bust of William Morris in the gallery foyer.
Here’s my badly taken paparazzi shot of a type specimen booklet featuring the three main typefaces that William Morris designed – Golden Type, Troy Type and Chaucer Type.
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