Morris to Mackintosh

Leave your home on an overnight flight to London.

Arrive in London, a vibrant city with a rich cultural history that spans nearly two millennia. Check in to our elegant 5-star boutique hotel, ideally located in beautiful South Kensington. Meet your Frank Lloyd Wright hosts and fellow travelers, and stroll to the nearby Victoria & Albert Museum, founded in the wake of the Great Exhibition of 1851 in celebration of the ingenuity of British manufacturers. Our curator-led visit concentrates on works by leading British Arts and Crafts luminaries and serves as an excellent introduction to our tour. Our visit also includes the William Morris-designed Green Dining Room. In the evening, get to know your fellow travelers during cocktails and dinner.
The Ampersand Hotel, London | Dinner

After breakfast at the hotel, travel back to the early 20th century at the beautifully preserved Emery Walker House, thought to be the most authentic Arts and Crafts home in Britain, due to its eclectic mix of family treasures set against a backdrop of beautiful Morris & Co. textiles, wallpaper and furnishings. Next, walk along the river Thames to the nearby William Morris Society to learn more about this idealistic and tireless founder of the Arts and Crafts Movement. More than simply a reformation of decoration and design, Morris strove to bring dignity to the craftsman/worker; with his ultimate goal being to change the way of living itself. After lunch, enjoy a guided tour of the magnificent home and studio of painter Frederic Leighton. The lavish “private palace of art” is decorated from floor-to-ceiling by a wealth of artwork and sumptuous finishes of beauty—including decoration by Walter Crane and tiles by William De Morgan—and represents the highest ideals of the British Aesthetic Movement, out of which the Arts and Crafts Movement grew. End the day at the Holy Trinity Church on Sloane Square, heralded as the “Cathedral of the Arts and Crafts Movement” by Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman. It is one of the few churches in the UK that is regarded as “a total work of art”— ‘gesamtkunstwerk’ in German. Your evening is free to enjoy London’s exciting dining and nightlife.
The Ampersand Hotel, London | Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast at the hotel, visit the William Morris Gallery, housed in the Grade II* listed 1792 Georgian Water House, Morris’ family home during his teenage years from 1848 to 1856. After lunch at the museum café, we bid farewell to bustling London. Crowds, concrete and traffic soon give way to the rolling, verdant hills of the famed English countryside. Our destination is the idyllic Cotswolds region and the storybook-perfect town of Chipping Campden, where the Arts and Crafts movement flourished at the start of the 20th century after Charles Robert Ashbee relocated his Guild and School of Handicraft there from London’s East End in 1902. Upon arrival, enjoy a walking tour that includes Hart Silversmiths—the last operating business of the Guild of Handicraft—and the Court Barn Museum to see the work of artists and artisans from the Guild of Handicraft Trust, including C.R. Ashbee himself. Check into your centrally located, historic hotel. Your evening is at leisure to explore the small but sophisticated town—home to charming pubs, artisanal delis and restaurants—just steps from our hotel.
Cotswolds House Hotel & Spa | Breakfast, Lunch

“…Kelmscott…a heaven on earth…” – William Morris

After breakfast, set off to explore several important Arts and Crafts era homes and gardens. First, enjoy an in-depth tour of Kelmscott Manor, a listed Grade I limestone manor house which was William Morris’s country home from 1871 until his death in 1896. Morris so loved the house’s setting, traditional craftsmanship, and its organic relationship to the garden—that he chose to be buried at nearby St. George’s Church. Here, the fascinating lives of Morris, his wife Jane and long-term guests, including Dante Gabriel Rossetti—artist, poet and founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood—come alive amidst the beautiful collection of artwork, books, and Morris & Co. furniture and decorations. Next, visit Rodmarton Manor, constructed in 1909 using only traditional building methods and local materials, and described by Charles Ashbee as “…the single best example of the Arts and Crafts movement.” After a light lunch, we will be welcomed by owner John Biddulph before seeing the home, garden and excellent collection of original Arts and Crafts style furniture on our own. Return to Chipping Campden for an evening at leisure.
Cotswolds House Hotel & Spa | Breakfast, Lunch

Depart after breakfast for Wightwick Manor (1887-1888) designed by architect Edward Ould for paint manufacturer Theodore Mander, who was a firm believer in the tenets of the Arts and Crafts Movement. The spacious manor is furnished to the highest standard with wallpaper, textiles and furnishings by Morris & Co. and boasts an important collection of paintings by Edward Burne-Jones, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and G.F. Watts. You will have time to have lunch on your own, visit the gallery, or explore the gardens. Then, drive through bucolic scenery to the storied Lake District and on to Windermere, one of the region’s most charming towns. Check into our waterside resort on the shores of Lake Windermere. In the evening, gather for cocktails and canapés in the lobby, followed by dinner at the hotel restaurant.
Holbeck Ghyll | Breakfast, Dinner

In the morning, set off to explore the work of two influential architect-designers; starting with M. H. Baillie Scott’s magnificent Blackwell House (1901)—which survives in a remarkable state of preservation, retaining almost all of its decorative features, including stained glass and furniture by Baillie Scott himself and metalwork by W.A.S. Benson. German architect Hermann Muthesius described Blackwell as “one of the most attractive creations that the new movement in house-building has produced” and credited Baillie Scott with “the new idea of the interior as an autonomous work of art.” Next, visit nearby Broad Leys, one of C.F.A. Voysey’s finest works. The substantial hipped roof of Westmoreland slate is balanced by three towering bow windows that overlook Lake Windermere. Next, visit Brantwood, the home of influential Victorian critic and writer, John Ruskin. After lunch at Brantwood’s Terrace Coffee House and Restaurant, you will have ample time to wander the estate and its many splendid gardens. Return to the hotel for an evening at leisure. Explore nearby central Windermere, take a hike along a wooded pathway, or take in the view from the hotel’s many decks and windows.
Holbeck Ghyll | Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, journey over the English/Scottish border to Glasgow, a city rich in Victorian and Art Nouveau architecture and the birthplace of architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Upon arrival, enjoy cream tea at his iconic Willow Tea Rooms. First opened in October of 1903 for tea merchant Catherine Cranston, it quickly gained popularity, especially amongst women, as a place to gather. The lavishly designed building contains many original features and was fully restored, largely to Mackintosh’s original designs, between 2014 and 2018. Next, see more of Mackintosh—and work by other important Scottish luminaries—at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. Housed in a massive 18^th Century mansion, the extensive collection also includes art and artifacts from Ancient Egypt to the modern-day. Don’t miss the floor-to-ceiling pipe organ, installed by Lewis and Co. for the Glasgow International Exhibition in 1901. Our day ends at the ground-breaking Mackintosh Church at Queen’s Cross (1888-89). The simple, yet warm and inviting interior—filled with beautiful stained glass windows and delicate, Japanese-inspired decorative carvings—shows the young architect’s genius. Then, check into your centrally located hotel. Your evening is free to enjoy as you wish in vibrant central Glasgow.
Hotel Dakota Glasgow | Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, travel to Helensburgh for a pre-opening visit to Mackintosh’s finest residential commission, Hill House. Designed in 1902 for publisher Walter Blackie, it is a consummate expression of Mackintosh’s visionary design philosophy. The interior was conceived as a total environment, and Mackintosh designed everything from the built-in wardrobes and furniture to the lighting and fire tongs. The exterior of local sandstone and Portland cement could not stand up to the west coast Scottish weather over the decades, and the house is currently protected by a metal mesh enclosure which will allow the house to dry out gradually over 15 years, during its much-needed conservation. After returning to Glasgow, visit the House for An Art Lover—based on Mackintosh’s 1901 design, but built between 1989-1996, for lunch. In the afternoon, visit the Hunterian Art Gallery for a gallery tour of museum highlights by a senior curator. Then, visit the adjacent Mackintosh House—a meticulous recreation of the architect and his wife, Margaret MacDonald’s home—with interiors furnished with their own furniture. Return to the hotel to freshen up before tonight’s farewell dinner at Gloriosa.
Hotel Dakota Glasgow | Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

The journey ends after breakfast. Or extend your journey to Edinburgh or beyond.

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Daily Itinerary subject to change.