country house
wightwick manor
Fig.1. Wightwick Manor. (s.d)
- Located in Wolverhampton, West Midlands.
- Bought in 1887 by Theodore Mander and wife Flora St Clair.
- Theodore - paint and varnish manufacturer.
- Bought part of the Wightwick estate - renovated the original house and outbuildings.
- Built a new house named Wightwick manor.
- Commissioned Edward Ould to design and build new house.
- Edward Ould - Architect specialising in timber framed, old english style.
- East wing added in 1893.
- Modern comforts - included electric lighting and central heating when being built.
- Victorian style.
- Contains work by William Morris - 19th century design.
- Contains William de Morgan tiles, W.A.S Benson metal work and stained glass windows by Charles Kempe.
- Continued to be enhanced by Theodore Mander's eldest son Geoffrey Mander and his wife Rosali Glynn Grylls.
- Rosalie expert in Pre-Raphelite art.
- Couple started the large collection of Pre-Raphelite art.
- Pre-Raphelite movement - Brotherhood of artists - formed in 1848.
- Wightwick a unique and appropriate setting for the works, as Morris & co founded by members of the Pre-Raphelite movement.
- Rosali continued the collection after Geoffrey's death in 1962, until her own death in 1988.
- Couple presented the home to the National Trust in 1937 - when it was only 50 years old and the trust had no interest in Victorian buildings.
- First to be accepted into the trusts country house scheme.
- Mander worked with the trust to add more William Morris pieces to the home.
- Daughter Anthea Mander Lahr keeps close links with the trust and the home she grew up in.
- Gradually renovated in the recent years to allow more rooms to be seen by the public.
- Exterior is a mixture Black timber frame, white plaster, red brick, stone and tile.
- 'old english' style introduced by Richard Norman Shaw and William Eden Nesfield in 1860's - became popular for middle class houses.
- Picturesque house.
- Exterior has a mix of victorian, medieval and Tudor styles.
- One of the first country houses to have electric lighting.
- Rooms available for public to see: Drawing room, library, entrance hall, upper hall, morning room, great parlour, billiard room, dining room, visitors stair case, gentleman's cloakroom, landing, honeysuckle room, visitors bathroom, indian bird room, acanthus room, oak room, dressing room, writing room, gallery, daisy room, pomegranate passage, family wing coridoors, day nursery, night nursery, servants wing including: stairs, kitchen corridor and servants hall, turkish bath, kitchen.
My visit to wightwick manor
The following notes were made during my visit to the manor, unfortunately photography wasn't allowed inside the house. There were laminated information sheets as I walked round, which gave me information on paintings, tapestries and the wallpapers around the home. Unfortunately I didn't get to walk round the whole house as some of it was closed, and some rooms are not open to the public.
The house is labeled as 'a living house' due to items in the house being moved around to best suit the house and decor. The house is not as it was when the Mander's lived there, the majority of the William Morris and Pre-Raphelite art has been added, along with a lot of the furniture. The house serves more of a gallery purpose, showing art and historical items.
The house is labeled as 'a living house' due to items in the house being moved around to best suit the house and decor. The house is not as it was when the Mander's lived there, the majority of the William Morris and Pre-Raphelite art has been added, along with a lot of the furniture. The house serves more of a gallery purpose, showing art and historical items.
- The entrance to the house has a carving with "This house was begun in the Jubilee Year of Her Majesty Queen Victoria by STM and F St C his wife anno domini MDCCCKXXXVII'
- The entrance hall contains a raised platform, with seating and a fireplace. Stained glass windows by Charles Kempe (1888) said to represent Fortitude, Abundance, Peace, Industry, Joy and Temperence. Under the glass is a window seat with 'peacock' fabric by William Morris. The armchair is covered in 'bird' fabric by William Morris. The curtains are also in Morris' 'bird' fabric. There are two paintings in the entrance hall, one watercolour of Theodore Mander and an oil painting of Flora St Clair.
- The drawing room was generally used for social gatherings for the women. It contains window seats, a large fire place, an alcove, a piano and seating. The fireplace was beautifully carved with William De Morgan tiles and a patterned curtain. Two arm chairs with William Morris cushions and fabric in his 'tulip' and 'flower garden' patterns. There is a painting by Rosetti of William Morris' wife Jane Morris (Fig.1.) the painting was completed by Ford Moddox Brown, who added red, instead of her actual black, hair. There was also a watercolour of William Morris' home, Kalmscott Manor, by his Daughter May Morris.
- The morning room would have been used for family breakfasts. The room contains De Morgan tiles around the fireplace and curtains by William Morris in his 'peacock and dragon' wool. There is also a portrait of Charles Mander by an unknown artist. There are also three portraits by Rossetti.
- The great parlour is an amazing, large room which contains fabrics by William Morris, books, tapestries, rugs, and a large fireplace. The room contains carved timber interior structures which provide frames for a coloured plaster frieze by Kempe (story of Orpheus and Eurydice) and William Morris' 'Diagonal trail' panels in woven wool. The bay window contains stained glass by Kempe, depicting St George, St Patrick and St Andrew. Inside the bay window is more William Morris design: 'Tulip and Rose' wool curtains and wallpaper in the 'acanthus' print. At the time the house had the tapestry of 'The Forest' by William Morris on loan in this room, the preliminary sketches by Philip Webb are permenantly on display in the house (Fig.5, 6, 7, 8). Paintings by Burne-Jones, Rossetti, and Thomas Woolner are hung in this room. A portrait of Jane Hughes, Mrs Nassau Senior by G.F.Watt (Fig.10) also hangs in the room, the colours of the painting compliment the colours of the tapestries, wallpaper and timber in the room. An armchair in 'strawberry thief' and a sofa in 'bird' fabrics by William Morris are also currently in this room.
- In the nursery corridor a pastel drawing by Evelyn De Morgan of Medea (fig.4.) is hung by a small table and chair. The image is the pastel sketch, the Oil version is in Willaimson Art Gallery and Musuem, Birkenhead. Medea has been mentioned in Ovid Metamorphoses and is the wife of Jason from Colchis, the image depicts Medea carrying a potion that she poisons Jason with, after learning that he leaves her for a Greek woman.
Fig.2. Jane Burden, Mrs William Morris (1870-1879-1893)
Fig.3. William Morris Carpet (1900)
Fig.4. Medea - Evelyn De Morgan (1889)
Fig.5. Study of The Hare - Philip Speakman Webb (1886 - 1887)
Fig.6. Study of The Raven- Philip Speakman Webb (1886 - 1887)
Fig.7. Study of The Fox - Philip Speakman Webb (1886 - 1887)
Fig.8. Study of The Lion - Philip Speakman Webb (1886 - 1887)
Fig.9. Stained glass - Charles Kempe (1893)
Fig.10. Jane 'Elizabeth Hughes - George Frederic Watts (1857-1858)
Bibliography
Art fund. (s.d) Wightwick manor. At: http://www.artfund.org/what-to-see/museums-and-galleries/wightwick-manor (Accessed on: 05.08.15)
Britannica. (2015) 'Medea' definition. [online] At: http://www.britannica.com/topic/Medea-Greek-mythology (Accessed on: 05.08.15)
National trust. (s.d) Jane Burden, Mrs William Morris (1839-1914) At: http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1288946 (Accessed on: 05.08.15)
National trust (s.d) Carpet. At: http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1289679 (Accessed on: 05.08.15)
Britannica. (2015) 'Medea' definition. [online] At: http://www.britannica.com/topic/Medea-Greek-mythology (Accessed on: 05.08.15)
National trust. (s.d) Jane Burden, Mrs William Morris (1839-1914) At: http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1288946 (Accessed on: 05.08.15)
National trust (s.d) Carpet. At: http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1289679 (Accessed on: 05.08.15)
images
Fig.1. Wightwick Manor. (s.d) At: http://www.artfund.org/what-to-see/museums-and-galleries/wightwick-manor (Accessed on: 05.08.15)
Fig.2. Jane Burden, Mrs William Morris (1870-1879-1893) At: http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1288946 (Accessed on: 05.08.15)
Fig.3. William Morris Carpet (1900) At: http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1289679 (Accessed on: 05.08.15)
Fig.4. Medea - Evelyn De Morgan (1889) At: http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1288979 (Accessed on: 05.08.15)
Fig.5. Study of The Hare - Philip Speakman Webb (1886 - 1887) http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/2900066.2 (Accessed on: 05.08.15)
Fig.6. Study of The Raven- Philip Speakman Webb (1886 - 1887) At: http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/2900066.3 (Accessed on: 05.08.15)
Fig.7. Study of The Fox - Philip Speakman Webb (1886 - 1887) At: http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/2900066.1 (Accessed on: 05.08.15)
Fig.8. Study of The Lion - Philip Speakman Webb (1886 - 1887) At: http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/2900066.4 (Accessed on: 05.08.15)
Fig.9. Stained glass - Charles Kempe (1893) At: http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1288931.12 (Accessed on: 05.08.15)
Fig.10. Jane 'Elizabeth Hughes - George Frederic Watts (1857-1858) At: http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1288949 (Accessed on: 05.08.15)
Fig.2. Jane Burden, Mrs William Morris (1870-1879-1893) At: http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1288946 (Accessed on: 05.08.15)
Fig.3. William Morris Carpet (1900) At: http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1289679 (Accessed on: 05.08.15)
Fig.4. Medea - Evelyn De Morgan (1889) At: http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1288979 (Accessed on: 05.08.15)
Fig.5. Study of The Hare - Philip Speakman Webb (1886 - 1887) http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/2900066.2 (Accessed on: 05.08.15)
Fig.6. Study of The Raven- Philip Speakman Webb (1886 - 1887) At: http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/2900066.3 (Accessed on: 05.08.15)
Fig.7. Study of The Fox - Philip Speakman Webb (1886 - 1887) At: http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/2900066.1 (Accessed on: 05.08.15)
Fig.8. Study of The Lion - Philip Speakman Webb (1886 - 1887) At: http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/2900066.4 (Accessed on: 05.08.15)
Fig.9. Stained glass - Charles Kempe (1893) At: http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1288931.12 (Accessed on: 05.08.15)
Fig.10. Jane 'Elizabeth Hughes - George Frederic Watts (1857-1858) At: http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1288949 (Accessed on: 05.08.15)