Top Pre-Raphaelite houses

Exquisite detail, jewel-like colours and romantic subject matter, the Pre-Raphaelite's enduring popularity is no mystery. And Pre-Raphaelite masterpieces can be found all over the UK in evocative settings. Here are some of my favourites. This is Red House at Bexley Heath in south-east London. Built between 1859 and 1860, it's one of the most important homes in 19th century Britain, not least because it was masterminded and lived in by the great William Morris. And I have to confess, I absolutely love it. William Morris was a close associate of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and together they made the furniture, stained glass windows and tapestries that fill the house. Take a look at this. I'm in what was once Morris and his wife Jane's bedroom. And this fascinating artwork was only discovered in 2013 behind the wardrobe. Now it's a mural, it was painted directly onto the wall, but it's been made to look as though it's a hanging tapestry. You can even see the folds painted in here. But what's really interesting about it is all the Pre-Raphaelite big hitters, Berne Jones, Morris himself, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Ford Maddox Brown, probably had a hand in making it. Morris's emphasis on craftsmanship is in evidence everywhere. The house is a work of art in its own right. There are some great little quirks here too. Now the Pre-Raphaelites were, for some reason, obsessed with wombats. And here in the drawing room there is a painting of a little wombat sleeping peacefully under a chair. In the far north of the country another Pre-Raphaelite treasure is hidden. Wallington Hall in Northumberland was the ancestral home of the unconventional Lady Trevelyan, a great patron of the Brotherhood. It boasts many Pre-Raphaelite works including this grand central hall which features a series of paintings about Northumbrian history by William Bell Scott. Whittock Manor near Wolverhampton is another arts and crafts house. It was built in the 1880s by Theodore Mander who promptly filled it with Pre-Raphaelite delights. Mander carefully chose original Morris wallpapers and fabrics and then his son Jeffrey added a marvellous collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings by artists including Rossetti and Burne-Jones. The William Morris Gallery is surely the mecca for all arts and crafts fans. Housed in Morris's childhood home in Walthamstow, the gallery is dedicated to his extraordinary life and career. The gallery's permanent collection explores Morris's work as a designer, author, businessman and political activist as well as a beautiful collection of Morris and Company furniture, wallpaper printing blocks and tiles. And finally if you find yourself in or near Devon you really should pay a visit to a curious house called Knight Says. Built in 1869, the property is full of quirks and curiosities from gargoyles and grotesques to the ceiling inscribed with Robert Burns's poetry. The arts and crafts movement spread like wildfire and inspired countless homes and gardens around the country.