10th December 2014
This porch, glazed with beautiful stained glass windows, is one of the many fascinating features of this lovely old building in Buxton. The building was originally used as an hotel for visitors to Buxton Spa in the Victorian and Edwardian age. WW1 changed everything and the building was bought by the council in the 1920s. It is now used to house Buxton Museum and Art Gallery.
The peacock was a popular Arts & Crafts image which appears in many works by William Morris. Morris & Co used the symbol of the peacock many times. Morris himself created a very popular furnishing fabric design called Peacock and Dragon in 1878. The V & A have an excellent example of some curtains made of this design.
The V & A also has the wonderful Forest Tapestry (1887) which includes the image of the Peacock. The animal images from the Forest Tapestry appear later in carpet designs. The V & A also has the beautiful Bullerswood carpet , designed by William Morris and woven by Morris & Co, circa1889. There is a also beautiful example of a different Peacock carpet design in the William Morris gallery in Walthamstow.
Posted in William Morris by Laura