Pre-Raphaelite Madness and Other Things
Vicky Jo Varner, PhD, MA, CPCC, PCC
Part-Time Professor at University of Philosophical Research
I’m picking up the tale where I left off last time. To set the scene, we tune in to Kenilworth, where we are taking care of the gorgeous-but-slightly-neurotic Burmese cat, Terry. (John and Andrea came and spirited Minou away, so we were deprived of her delightful company for the remainder of the sit.)
By now my appetite was whetted for Pre-Raphaelite delights! We struck out for Wightwick Manor (pronounced "Wittick"), a property under the care of the National Trust since 1937. It is said to be a rare surviving example of a house built and furnished under the influence of the Aesthetic movement and the Arts and Crafts movement. Ooh-la-la!
In 1999, the director of the National Trust described it as:
the most complete example of late nineteenth-century artistic taste ... one of the two or three places in the world you must visit if you are interested in William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement.
It has also been observed that, "in its way, [it is] one of the wonders of the world.”
Wightwick was built by Theodore Mander, a member of a family of successful 19th-century industrialists in the area. Theodore took copious notes at a local lecture that was given in 1884 by Oscar Wilde on the “House Beautiful,” who quoted William Morris:
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Inspired, the homeowners decorated their interiors with designs by William Morris and his Arts and Crafts contemporaries. Interestingly, however, their Pre-Raphaelite collection was mostly assembled after the house was donated to the National Trust.?
The design of the house looks like something from five centuries ago rather than a Victorian home less than 100 years old. Apparently the house was intended to feel quirky and give the impression it was an older house that?evolved over time, enhanced by the individual personal touches of a family's idiosyncrasies.