The Letters of Philip Webb

Book excerpt: Philip Webb (1831-1915) was a British architect known as a founder of the Arts and Crafts movement and also a key member of the Pre-Raphaelite circle. He was an important figure in the literary and artistic world of the late-nineteenth century. Webb had a long association, both professionally and personally, with William Morris and his family as well as becoming treasurer of Morris's revolutionary Socialist League. They first met as trainees in the same architect's practice and remained collaborators throughout their lifetimes. Webb was responsible for the design of the hugely influential Red House, the Morris's first home. It was through Morris that Webb became connected with Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones, amongst others. Webb and Morris were also joint founders of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), the first organization to promote conservation rather than intrusive restoration. This comprehensive selection from Webb's surviving letters includes many important and previously unpublished letters to some of his closest associates. They reveal the wide range of his professional and personal interests. These four volumes will be of interest to art and architecture historians, scholars of Victorian history in general and of William Morris and the wider Pre-Raphaelite and Arts and Crafts movements in particular.