Theresa Thompson on the wonders of the arts and crafts movement

Locally, to see the work of the arts and crafts movement you need look no further normally than Kelmscott Manor, near Lechlade, the summer home of arts and crafts pioneer William Morris, or Rodmarton Manor near Cirencester – said by C R Ashbee in 1914 to be “the English arts and crafts movement at its best.”

Or for that matter, any number of villages and churches in the Cotswolds, which was an important centre for arts and crafts in the early 20th century.

The Grade-I listed Georgian mansion of Compton Verney, near Banbury, is not an obvious choice, however, for anyone seeking the arts and crafts style or its legacy. But this summer, Compton Verney is the place to go – for it is offering a trio of arts and crafts delights, historic and modern: two special exhibitions in the house, and a new commission in the park by renowned landscape designer Dan Pearson who was this summer’s Best in Show winner at the Chelsea Flower Show.

First, to The Arts & Crafts House, an exhibition curated by Compton Verney’s Antonia Harrison, which traces the origins and enduring appeal of the historic movement that developed in the 1860s as a reaction against the growing industrialisation of Victorian Britain.

Conceived as a series of encounters, the show begins with the work and ideas of John Ruskin and William Morris and then explores how later designers took these further.

This creates in Harrison’s words “a refreshing take on the arts and crafts movement” and places examples of the work of major arts and crafts figures. Among these are CR Ashbee, Sidney and Ernest Barnsley, garden designer Gertrude Jekyll, and architects CFA Voysey and Philip Webb – they are alongside newer faces on the block such as innovative potter Michael Eden, who uses 3D printing alongside traditional craft techniques.

There is a great deal to see and enjoy here. Key pieces include Morris’ first embroidery, Si Je Puis, made when he was aged 23, exemplifying his hands-on approach to design and production and prefiguring many later designs; May Morris’ June Frieze from Kelmscott; an oak settle designed by Ernest Barnsley; an oak coffer with gesso decoration by Ernest Gimson; and of the newer pieces, Rosa Nguyen’s 2015 commission Gardening with Morris, an extraordinary 3D wallpaper that takes its inspiration from Morris and nature. As with much on show, it reflects the arts and crafts movement’s particular feeling for home and garden.

Then is was onwards to Dan Pearson’s glorious William Morris Meadow – best seen either from the sculpture terrace (also through the gallery’s windows) or walking around the wild flower meadow’s paths. These have been specially cut to echo the grid and vines of Morris’ Trellis wallpaper pattern, and the meadow flowers to echo the roses in Morris’ design.

Pearson said that the idea came to him immediately when first discussing the commission.

He said: “I picked the Trellis pattern for its combination of formality and informality. The concept was all about the crossover of horticulture, art and nature.”

An Arts and Crafts Summer is at Compton Verney until September 13.

The Arts and Crafts House, The Hart Silversmiths, and Dan Pearson’s William Morris Meadow – at Compton Verney until Sept 13