Relax in William Morris’s Oxfordshire
Kelmscott Manor which dates from 1570
PHOTOGRAPH: MARTYN FERRY/GETTY IMAGES
The Oxfordshire village of Kelmscott
When the designer, poet and novelist William Morris frst clapped eyes on Kelmscott Manor, he declared it the ‘loveliest haunt of ancient peace’, and promptly made it his family retreat from 1871 until his death 25 years later. The house and gardens reopen to the public for the summer in April, and remain as they did in his day. An equally lovely haunt is The Plough Inn, a stroll away down a quiet country lane, and very much adhering to Morris’s motto: ‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.’ The 17th-century inn, refurbished last year, is the perfect country pub, with creaking wooden furniture and fagstone foors in the bar and restaurant, picnic tables in the charming garden, and understated bedrooms, with wood panelling and wool throws, upstairs. The dailychanging menu makes fne use of seasonal produce in dishes such as lamb rump and smoked mackerel. (Top tip: don’t miss the Kelmscott pigs in blankets with Oxford sauce.)
A double room at the pub