A Dwelling for Nearly 1,000 Years
William Morris and Great Tangley Manor
William Morris was closely involved in the addition of 2 wings to Great Tangley Manor, one at each end of the house. The library and music room were added by the famous architect, Philip Webb, and furnished by William Morris. Other visitors included Gertrude Jekyll, the horticulturist, who came and photographed the manor, occasionally bringing Lutyens with her. Leslie Stephens visited with his 2 daughters, Virginia and Vanessa, later to become Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell of Bloomsbury Group fame.
Wickham Flower
Wickham Flower was a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and an early member of the S.P.A.B (Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings), a society established by William Morris in 1877 with the aim of countering those Victorian architects whose ‘restoration’ of medieval buildings was destroying architectural history.
The influences of William Morris, the stewardship of Great Tangley Manor by Wickham Flower and today the Powell-Evans, means that Great Tangley Manor remains a beautiful Grade I listed 11th Century Moated Manor and a fine base for a William Morris flavoured historic tour.
