Books

In the 1880s a young group of architects and designers challenged the Victorian emphasis on continuing commercial expansion and, inspired by William Morris, became convinced that art and craft could change people’s lives for the better. The Arts and Crafts movement, as it became known, was one of the most significant art movements to develop in Britain. The functional and decorative work it produced influenced designers and makers worldwide and seminal figures such as C R Ashbee, Ernest Gimson, Phoebe Traquair and C F A Voysey set standards for design and craftwork that remains to this day.