William Morris was born in Walthamstow and from 1848 to 1856 lived in Water House, now the William Morris Gallery. The recent refurbishment programme provides visitors with a personal insight into one of the foremost creative and original talents of the 19th century, whose work has since inspired generations of artists, designers, writers and political thinkers.

This transformation delivers an increased and fully-refurbished exhibition space with three new galleries, a library, research and education centre and a new tearoom, and a balcony overlooking the gardens. Almost 600 objects, including some previously unseen works, are now on display across the 12 galleries. The collection is the only one in the world to represent all aspects of Morris’s work. The refurbished museum won the Art Fund Prize for Museum of the Year in 2013.

The Art Fund Museum of the Year judges noted: “This truly is museum of the year. Its extraordinary collections, beautifully presented, draw the visitor engagingly through Morris’s life and work and through the building itself. Setting the highest standards of curatorship, and reaching out impressively to its local community.”