"Thank you very much for sending me the drawing of Kelmscott. I think some alterations are needed. The chimney-stack mixes up too much with the gable, & is much too small I should say. The markings of the stone work joints are too black and heavy, and would give the block a sooty look. The copings of the gables are wrong I should say; I think some indication of their mouldings must be shown I think. I think also that the stone path up to the porch might be drawn with more literality. Again the plants against the house wall are vines and should have some indication of the habit of vines".
From a letter by William Morris to Charles March Gere, December 20th 1892.
There are many such discouraging letters from WM to his illustrators for wood-cuts for The Kelmscott Press, so I think I know the answer to the question of whether he would approve of my work. In my design (no 1. from the east) below, my chimney stacks are engulfed by the gables as I try to make sense of the geometry of the Manor.
Design 1 is nearly finished and will be used for the first part of my glass and wallpaper installation in the Brewhouse.