lecture

winterbourne house: brief chronology

• 1903-1925: the Nettlefold family

• 1925-1944: John Nicholson n family

• 1944: bequeathed to UofBrum, used as Hall of Resident for female students

• 1960s-2005: houses various uni departments

• 2008: Grade II listing, garden of national importance

• 2010: House opens to public

• 2017: full museum status awarded to Winterbourne

og history

• built from 1903-1904

• for John Sutton Nettlefold (1866-1930) n Margaret Nettlefold (1871-1949)

• moved in 1904 w 5 children (+ 2 later on)

the Nettlefolds

• John and Margaret born into families of wealthy industrialists

• John:

  • works in fam business from age 17

  • screw manufacturers

  • interested in workers’ wellbeing n housing

  • elected councillor for Edgbaston n Harborne

  • founded Birmingham Housing Committee

  • designs Moor Pool garden suburb in 1907

• Margaret:

  • attends Birmingham Art School

  • designs the gardens @Winterbourne

  • paints landscapes

  • travel widely

  • dedicates time to Women’s Hospital n local charity work

  • uncle = Mayor of Brum

  • cousin = Prime Minister » Neville Chamberlain

historical context

• industrialisation » rapidly expanding urban areas + working class

  • depopulation of countryside

• criticism of industry n capitalism

  • AWN Pugin

  • William Morris

  • Karl Marx

• Design Reform Movement

industrialisation

• Brum in 1732 on verge of Industrial Rev

• 18th century » 10k to 70k pop

• 19th century » 74k to 522k

impact

• people » unregulated industry

• environment » extraction

• growth of cities

• speed n quantity of production

division of labour

• productivity increased by separate object manufacturing into separate, repetitive tasks

• individuals disconnected from results of labour

  • only to small element within that production chain

alienation of labour

• term developed by the economist n theorist Karl Marx

  • related to stratification of social classes

• relates to capitalist production

  • worker becomes estranged from their humanity + ability to determine their actions

• value applied to goods n service these ‘machines’ produce, not to their labour

• bourgeoisie own this means of production, not the workers

urban living conditions

• shoddy, unsafe

• built quickly on edges of cities

A.W.N Pugin (1812-52), architect

• advocated revival of medieval Gothic architecture

• gothic = authentic Christian style, true religion

• published ‘Contrasts’ (1836)

  • contrasts a civilised medieval town w a dehumanised, modern town

• concerned w environmental n human damage

• good design = good life

design reform

• Pugin advocated for flat, formalised geometric patterns

  • egg quatrefoils, heraldic motifs, flower n foliage forms

  • adapted patterns from medieval art, architecture n textiles

  • designed for specific settings eg Parliament

• he favoured:

  • flat patterns composed of simple forms

  • flat designs for flat surfaces = should confirm the wall/floor as a flat surface

  • ‘honesty’ in design

  • decoration of a flat surface should itself be flat

the home

• moral dimension to interior decoration

• by mid-19th century, home = a refuge, above commerce, authentic, ordered, clean

• objects can inform our moral values

• avoid ‘false’ ornament eg painted on woodgrain, chose ‘true’ ornament = visible wood

arts n crafts

• emerged from these concerns around capitalism, environment n labour n attempts to reform design n decoration in mid-19th century Britain

key ideas

• against social n environmental impact of capitalist factory-based system of production

• return to ‘medieval’ honest, fulfilling work » pleasure in making

• away from cities » rural idylls, revival of rural crafts

• labour valued, not just product

• emphasis on makers making whole objects

  • or on working collaboratively where more than one maker/skill is required

William Morris (1834-96), designer

• wealthy family

• Oxford uni

  • met some of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood

• found the importance in creating beautiful, well-made objects for everyday life

  • objects should be produced in a way that benefits the maker n society

• looked to the past for inspiration

  • medieval designs

  • guilds of makers

• craft-based artistic community

  • small-scale workshops rather than factory system

May Morris (1862-1938)

• daughter of William Morris n Jane Morris

• trained @South Kensington School of Design (became Royal College of Art)

• 1885 @23 » Head of Morris & Co embroidery dept

Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co

• 1861: set up interior design company

• everything to be handmade

• inc. carving, stained glass, metalwork, wallpaper, printed fabric, carpets

• churches = key patron

• 1885: daughter May director of embroidery dept

the ‘whole’ interior

• quite a few leading figures were architects

• designed objects for a ‘total’ interior - harmonious blending of constituent elements

• reference to historic n regional design + traditions

• William Morris: “have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful”

how do buildings mean?

• Winchester Cathedral

  • cross-shaped ground-floor plan

  • shape of building symbolises the cross » central Christian symbol

• Oikema/House of Pleasure

  • Claude-Nicolas Ledoux, 1780

  • phallic shape

• Kedleston Hall

  • Derbyshire

  • Robert Adam, constructed 1759-1765

  • central part evokes Arch of Constantine, Rome, 312-315

Winterbourne House

• wonky roof line = building feels older, cottage-like, handmade

summary

• Winterbourne house = prime example of Arts n Crafts

• comfortable family home

• large windows, integration of inside n outside

• pays attention to ornament even in functional details

• inspired by nature

• references cottage style

• suburban fantasy at edge of industrial city

• funded by industry