7 Hammersmith Terrace facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 7 Hammersmith Terrace |
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|---|---|
| General information | |
| Town or city | Hammersmith and Fulham, London |
| Country | England |
| Estimated completion | 1755 |
Imagine stepping back in time! 7 Hammersmith Terrace is a special old house in London, England. It was once the home of a famous English artist named Emery Walker. Walker was a big part of the Arts and Crafts movement, a time when people loved handmade things. He was also a close friend of William Morris, another famous artist who lived nearby.
Walker filled his home with beautiful items made in the Arts and Crafts style. This showed off his friendships with Morris and other artists. This house is so important that it's a Grade II* listed building. This means it's protected because of its history. It has four floors and is made of brown bricks. A special blue plaque on the outside remembers Emery Walker.
After Walker passed away, his daughter Dorothy wanted to keep the house just as it was. She even added more items from the Morris family. Because of her efforts, the house today is a rare example of an Arts and Crafts home. It looks almost exactly like it did when Emery Walker lived there.
The house is now owned by the Emery Walker Trust, a charity. They say it's "the last authentic Arts and Crafts interior in Britain." You can visit the house by booking a guided tour. It's located on Hammersmith Terrace, close to the A4 road in west Hammersmith and Fulham.
Contents
The History of 7 Hammersmith Terrace
The seventeen houses on Hammersmith Terrace were built around 1755. They offered a cheaper place to live than homes closer to central London. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, many artists and creative people lived on the Terrace. These included the actor F. G. Stephens and the calligrapher Edward Johnston.
Emery Walker moved into number 7 in 1903 with his wife and children. Before that, he had lived at 3 Hammersmith Terrace for 24 years.
Preserving a Historic Home
When Walker died in 1933, his daughter Dorothy took over the house. She worked hard to keep the house and everything inside it just as her father had left them. When Dorothy died in 1963, her nurse, Elizabeth de Hass, became the owner. She continued Dorothy's work to preserve the house. Because of this, the house stayed almost the same as when Walker was alive.
Before Elizabeth de Hass passed away in 1999, she talked to experts. She wanted to set up a trust to keep managing the property. The Emery Walker Trust was started in February 1999. Money for the trust came from selling some of Walker's private print collection. This Trust then became the owner of the house.
Visiting 7 Hammersmith Terrace Today
The Emery Walker Trust opened the house to the public for the first time in April 2005. At first, people worried that there wouldn't be enough money to keep it open. However, the house now offers guided tours every summer. You need to book these tours in advance. A blue plaque on the house helps remember Emery Walker's life there.
Inside the Arts and Crafts Home
The inside of 7 Hammersmith Terrace is a wonderful example of the Arts and Crafts movement style. It has changed very little since Emery Walker lived there. This is thanks to the careful work of his daughter and her nurse. The house and its contents show how close Walker was to the textile designer William Morris. Morris lived nearby, and they became friends after Walker moved to Hammersmith Terrace.
Their families remained close even after Morris died in 1896. Morris's daughter, May Morris, gave several items to the Walker family. Some were given to Emery himself, and others to Dorothy when she inherited the house.
Unique Items and Designs
- The linoleum in the entrance is a Morris design. It's the only known Morris linoleum still in its original home!
- The house also has patterned wall-hangings and a blue rug from the Morris household. Dorothy bought the rug at a sale in 1939.
- You can even find some of Morris's personal items, like his glasses and a lock of his hair.
Other items in the house came from people connected to the Arts and Crafts movement. When the architect Philip Webb died, Walker received all his belongings. Some of Webb's furniture is still in the house. The drawing room has a special desk called a secretaire designed by Ernest Barnsley.
The house also holds important papers, like an early copy of The Earthly Paradise by Morris. There are also letters from the famous writer Rudyard Kipling. You can even see a teapot that belonged to the artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Walker's own personal items are also there, including souvenirs from his travels and his 1933 National Trust membership card.
Artworks on Display
The house features several interesting artworks:
- Two oil paintings by Samuel Butler, who was better known as a novelist. These paintings show Soglio and Westminster School.
- An oil painting called Christmas Roses by Anna Hornby.
- An oil painting by Neville Bulwer-Lytton, 3rd Earl of Lytton of his daughter Madeline.
