The Arts & Crafts Movement in the Cotswolds

Following a brief introduction to the Arts and Crafts Movement, this text chronicles the arrival of a succession of artists, architects, craftsmen and designers in the Cotswolds during the second half of the 19th century. Having come under the influence of William Morris, they sought to realize in the Cotswolds the ideals of the Arts and Crafts Movement, with its emphasis on the importance of creative manual work and the breakdown of the barrier between designer and maker, looking for inspiration to the English countryside. Greensted examines the workshops, design and techniques of the various craftsmen and artists: Gimson and the Barnsleys at Pinbury, Sapperton and Rodmarton Manor; the Guild of Handicraft at Chipping Campden; potters Alfred and Louise Powell, and their development of links with Wedgwood; William and Eve Simmonds and their theatrical and puppet theatre; the hand block printers Phyllis Barron and Dorothy Larcher at Painswick; and furniture maker Gordon Russell at Broadway. The final chapters look at the influence of the Arts and Crafts Movement on local Architecture, the simple life as it was lived in the Cotswolds and the continuing influence of the Movement on modern-day craftsmen.