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Philip Speakman Webb was born in 1831 into the family of an Oxford doctor. He visited the grammar school and started his professional education thereafter. In 1854 he started to work for Georg Edmund Street as chief clerk. G. E. Street was a Gothic Revivalist architect and very active in restoring cathedrals and churches, but he also built non-celestial buildings in the Gothic style. In 1856 Philip Webb met William Morris, as the latter became Street’s pupil. Morris introduced him to the Pre-Raphaelite circle around the painters Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones. Webb was very interested in vernacular architecture and therefore toured northern England, Scotland and northern France. Among his friends was the British architect William Butterfield, ‘who is said to have started the High Victorian Gothic by building the All Saints church in Margaret Street, London’ (Kostof, 1985, p.637). ‘Furthermore, his ideas of combining natural colours freely, as well as the functional se...

In 1859 Webb started to work independently. His first job was to build a house for his friend William Morris. The Red House is seen ‘as the first building incorporating the Arts and Crafts style completely, in the construction and within’ (Design Museum, 2006). The designing process followed the ideas of Morris and Webb about domestic architecture and decoration. Those ideas were strongly influenced by the Industrial Revolution, the ensuing mass-production of cheap decorative art and the felt loss in taste. The ideal of pre-industrial craftsmanship, leading back to the architect A. W. N. Pugin and critic John Ruskin, was the driving force, as well as the appreciation of simplicity by both Webb and Morris. Although some sources mention Philip Webb as the sole designer of the Red House, Morris had notable influence during the designing process. The decoration within the Red House was partly Webb’s work. He designed among other things tables, chairs, cupboards and table glass. Philip W...

Morris’ idea was to have a place where he could work surrounded by hand-made quality products, and his friends, who were helping to decorate and furnish the Red House. During that process the idea developed further and led into the foundation of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co in 1961. The association included Philip Webb and the painters Rossetti, Burne-Jones and Ford Madox Brown. They produced stained glass, furniture, wallpaper, carpets and more. The firm collaborated with skilled craftsmen, who worked according to the painter’s designs. Webb, unlike other architects, was also an excellent designer of small things. The ornamentation of the sideboard [Fig. 2] is an example of his abilities. Furthermore he designed tables and chairs. Philip Webb developed the Morris chair [Fig. 3] on the basis of a traditional design, which he found in a workshop. It had an adjustable back and was made from wood, in contrast to the iron-made American mechanical chairs. However, the chair was especi...

Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co dissolved in 1875 and Webb continued independently, while Morris formed Morris & Co. Despite that, Webb provided Morris’ new firm with designs for furniture. In 1877, Philip Webb and William Morris founded the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. The society still exists and follows the founders’ aim to prevent old buildings from destructive restoration in order to preserve their authenticity by skilful reparations. Webb had big influence through the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, as he used to teach young architects on principles and methods of conservation. Webb led his own practice until his retirement in 1899. Afterwards he spent time travelling and advising colleagues, who were interested in the Arts and Crafts Movement. He died in 1915.

Philip Speakman Webb was an important figure in the Arts and Crafts Movement, especially as an architect of country houses, but also as a designer of furniture and stained glass. He shared the ideas of William Morris, the ideal of craftsmanship and, later in his life, socialism. Their friendship and professional collaboration highlighted in the Red House. The Philip Webb Award, which was launched by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings in 1993, underlines the lasting appreciation of his commitment and his impact until today. In the acceptance of the fact, that no building is going to live forever, lies the power of the work done by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. I appreciate old constructions, which still radiate the atmosphere of the days, when they had been built. Old buildings are allowed to look old, because then, they offer something unique: a journey in time. Simplicity is timeless and nice to the eyes. Good design can be enjoyed without an...

Britannica Online Encyclopaedia (2010) Arts and Crafts Movement. Available at: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/37281/Arts-and-Crafts-movement(Accessed: 3 February 2010). Britannica Online Encyclopaedia (2010) Philip Speakman Webb. Available at: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/638504/Philip-Speakman-Webb(Accessed: 3 February 2010) [a]. Britannica Online Encyclopaedia (2010) Western Architecture. Available at: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/32952/Western-architecture/47391/National-and-regional-variations#ref=ref489437(Accessed: 3 February 2010) [Subtitle: From the 19th to the Early 20th Century, Paragraph 10]. Clutton, N. (2010) Red House, Bexleyheath, Kent (now in Bexley), England, designed for William Morris by Philip Webb, 1859 [Online]. Available at: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/638504/Philip-Speakman-Webb(Accessed: 4 February 2010) [Image 3]. Craven, J. (2010) Philip Webb: Arts & Crafts Architect and Designer. Available at: http://arch...