Last chance to see the William Morris Gallery museum ahead of big renovation
(Mostly) Closed for the Summer
We have good news and bad news. London's William Morris Gallery is getting a revamp, but parts of the museum will be closed during works. And they begin on 22nd June.
From 22nd June to 19th July, the first floor galleries will be closed off to the public, although you’ll still be able to access the ground floor gallery areas.
It’s going to be a bit of a no-go zone for days out from 20th July all the way to September. A “gradual re-opening” of the space begins on 21st September.
If you want to be really sure you won’t turn up to see only the site's Deeney’s Café open when you visit, hold off until 3rd October.
That’s when the William Morris Gallery’s next major exhibition opens, Earthly Paradise. It focuses on people and places that have “helped shape art and activism across Britain” over the last 200 years.
If you don’t fancy waiting until then, get yourself over to the William Morris Gallery, stat.
The upcoming works are the second part of a refurb — the first happened in 2025 and focused on important but fairly unexciting things like the ventilation and cooling systems.
This next part will have more of impact on what the place actually looks like to visit. The permanent collection will be re-situated, re-hung, and new objects will be added too, in order to “introduce fresh perspectives on William Morris’s life and legacy.”
The aim is to include more context on wider social issues, including women’s history, the art of other cultures and Morris’s ongoing social, cultural and political impact.
“This is an opportunity to rethink how we present Morris’s work for today’s audiences, deepening engagement, broadening perspectives, and highlighting his continued relevance to contemporary social and environmental issues,” says Hadrian Garrard, director of the William Morris Gallery.
If you have the time to spare, there’s no reason not to nip in before the works begin proper as it’s free to visit. The William Morris Gallery is open 10am to 5pm, Tuesday to Sunday.
