Christmas At Wightwick Manor

I've been a member of the National Trust for many years and have previously been a volunteer for Shugborough. Today I took my nieces to Wightwick Manor in Wolverhampton to tour the house and see the Christmas decorations. This years theme is Charles Dickens Scrooge.

The house was built in 1887 for Samuel Theodore Mander by architect Edward Ould. The house is a timber framed building with tall chimney stacks and oriel windows.

Wightwick Manor houses an important collection of Pre-Raphaelite, Aesthetic and Arts and Crafts pictures and furnishings, including textiles, ceramics, embroidery, stained glass, furniture, metalwork, silk and wool textiles by Morris and Co. and other leading designers.

The house is well worth a visit and also has lovely gardens, tea room and shop.

The walls of the house are covered with William Morris wallpaper. William Morris never came to the house, nor did his company formally design for it.

Instead, all the wallpapers, fabric wall coverings and soft furnishings were bought through the Morris & Co shop or catalogue.

Unlike the artwork, Morris & Co designs were included in the 1887 and 1893 buildings.

However, they were much enhanced after the 1937 saving of the property, when Sir Geoffrey expanded the Manor's Morris collection (or 'Morrisania' as the National Trust's Historic Buildings secretary called it).

This included sketches for Morris designs, as well as large items of furnishings, such as carpets and curtains.

The house is open most days and is free for National Trust members but you can also pay to visit if you're a non member too.

Kelly