Broad Leys, built in 1898
Looking down from the terrace to Lake Windermere
The origin of the Arts & Crafts movement can be found in the True principles of Augustus Pugin (1812-1852), the Seven Lamps of Architecture by John Ruskin (1819-1900) and the revolutionary energy of William Morris (1834-96). They influenced later artists, craftsmen and architects to devote their careers to an earthly paradise. Morris wasn’t an architect, but he understood how new buildings should be built in the modest vernacular.
Yorkshireman Charles F.A Voysey (1857-1941) studied with JP Seddon until 1874 and then studied for a year under George Devey, eminent country-house designer, in 1880. Voysey made money early on as a designer of wallpaper, textiles and furnishings, showing the influence of Arthur Mackmurdo & William Morris in a simple Arts & Crafts style.
He established his own architectural practice in London and in 1888 his plans for small houses were published in The British Architect. Voysey became known as an Arts & Crafts architect and a designer of some prominent country houses whose work, widely publicised in British and European journals, was influential in Europe between 1890-1910.
Rejecting Classical architectural teaching, Voysey applied Augustus Pugin and John Ruskin’s theories to designing simple, well-built houses. His works were thus formative in the evolution of the modern architectural movement. The interiors of his nature-related, cottage-style buildings were typically long and low, with clean lines, exteriors famous for their characteristic white rough rendered walls, horizontal ribbon windows, high pitched roofs & huge chimneys.
Yorkshireman Charles F.A Voysey (1857-1941) studied with JP Seddon until 1874 and then studied for a year under George Devey, eminent country-house designer, in 1880. Voysey made money early on as a designer of wallpaper, textiles and furnishings, showing the influence of Arthur Mackmurdo & William Morris in a simple Arts & Crafts style.
He established his own architectural practice in London and in 1888 his plans for small houses were published in The British Architect. Voysey became known as an Arts & Crafts architect and a designer of some prominent country houses whose work, widely publicised in British and European journals, was influential in Europe between 1890-1910.
Rejecting Classical architectural teaching, Voysey applied Augustus Pugin and John Ruskin’s theories to designing simple, well-built houses. His works were thus formative in the evolution of the modern architectural movement. The interiors of his nature-related, cottage-style buildings were typically long and low, with clean lines, exteriors famous for their characteristic white rough rendered walls, horizontal ribbon windows, high pitched roofs & huge chimneys.
terrace, with curved bows breaking into the hipped roof.
Broad Leys' terrace overlooks Windermere, and has a more formal garden front. with three two-storey curved bows breaking into a big hipped roof. Broad Leys Cumbria is one of the Arts and Crafts movement’s masterpieces, and was originally created for the family of a Victorian industrialist from Wakefield in 1898: Arthur Currer Briggs and his wife Helen. It's a fine example of Voysey's design and lies just south of Bowness on Windermere in the English Lake District.
At the end of the war it was sold to power boat racers in 1952, and Broad Leys is now the home of the Windermere Motor Boat Racing Club. However at least during the week, anyone can stay in this mansion with its elegant curved bay windows and Windermere views.
The Arts & Crafts movement might have been traditional to medieval and pre-industrial craft. But it was driven by the contemporary romantic socialism i.e a better life for all, rather than a system driven by profit and privilege. Few Arts & Crafts men and women practiced after WW1. Yet the thread of English Architecture, from Morris and Ruskin onwards, searched for the modern spirit rather than offering mere parodies of the past. As we see in the best of the garden cities today!
In 1900 Voysey was the leading European representative in architecture and design whose influence on Mackintosh and Walton in the north was clear, as was that on Baillie-Scott and Ashbee in the south. He built what was to be simple, comfortable and enjoyable, living a homely and honest life amidst lovely gardens. Thank you to the Voysey Society.
simple, light filled lounge room
bedroom overlooking the lake
with Arts and Crafts tiled fireplace
Nikolaus Pevsner noted it was Voysey’s masterpiece, with extensive front terraced gardens and 3 large curved bay windows, stretching up to the first floor, giving magnificent views over the lake. The family stayed there most summers and often invited Beatrix Potter and dad Rupert to stay with them. He was a keen photographer and took great interior photos in its Victorian heyday. Read Broad Leys: The creation, life & times of an Arts & Crafts House.
Voysey's fame was a result of his indifference to design at the time. He drew away from the ornate and intricate look that so many architects and designers favoured in Victorian times, instead using straight lines, gentle curves and open spaces. Not exactly a minimalist style, but reflecting a clear desire for open space eg see the hall. Note Broad Leys is the first of Voysey’s houses ever to offer accommodation to the public, in rooms restored to their original splendour.
See many high quality local restaurants and Lakeland pubs nearby. Visitors access the steamers which run the length of the lake, stopping at Ambleside at the north end of the lake and Lakeside on the south end. Some of the most famous and challenging Lakeland fell walks and beautiful scenery offers numerous biking and cycle routes.
The Lake District in the northern county of Cumbria has some of U.K’s best Arts & Crafts architecture. Close to Broad Leys is Blackwell, a fine piece of Arts & Crafts architecture designed by H Baillie Scott. Moor Crag, designed by Voysey in 1898 as a holiday home, is set in landscaped grounds. See Ghyll Head, at Bowness-on-Windermere, with roughcast walls and huge stacks on sweeping slate roofs. In 1908 Voysey designed the small Littleholme in Kendal Cumbria for Arthur Simpson, Arts & Crafts designer. And visit Wordsworth’s homes at Dove Cottage and Rydal Mount; Beatrix Potter's Hill Top Farm with its Potter Museum & Exhibition; and Holker Hall gardens.
Voysey's fame was a result of his indifference to design at the time. He drew away from the ornate and intricate look that so many architects and designers favoured in Victorian times, instead using straight lines, gentle curves and open spaces. Not exactly a minimalist style, but reflecting a clear desire for open space eg see the hall. Note Broad Leys is the first of Voysey’s houses ever to offer accommodation to the public, in rooms restored to their original splendour.
See many high quality local restaurants and Lakeland pubs nearby. Visitors access the steamers which run the length of the lake, stopping at Ambleside at the north end of the lake and Lakeside on the south end. Some of the most famous and challenging Lakeland fell walks and beautiful scenery offers numerous biking and cycle routes.
The Lake District in the northern county of Cumbria has some of U.K’s best Arts & Crafts architecture. Close to Broad Leys is Blackwell, a fine piece of Arts & Crafts architecture designed by H Baillie Scott. Moor Crag, designed by Voysey in 1898 as a holiday home, is set in landscaped grounds. See Ghyll Head, at Bowness-on-Windermere, with roughcast walls and huge stacks on sweeping slate roofs. In 1908 Voysey designed the small Littleholme in Kendal Cumbria for Arthur Simpson, Arts & Crafts designer. And visit Wordsworth’s homes at Dove Cottage and Rydal Mount; Beatrix Potter's Hill Top Farm with its Potter Museum & Exhibition; and Holker Hall gardens.
Beatrix Potter and a cleric, at Broad Leys
date? Broad Leys photo gallery
In addition to design and architectural work, which largely ended when WW1 started, he wrote 2 books: Reason as the Basis of Art (1906) and Individuality (1915). Voysey won the RIBA Gold Medal in 1940, and died in Winchester in Feb 1941. John Betjeman paid tribute and Pevsner (both later founders of the Victorian Society) recorded his place in architectural history. Then his widow Helen allowed Broad Leys to be used as an auxiliary hospital for WW2 officers.
At the end of the war it was sold to power boat racers in 1952, and Broad Leys is now the home of the Windermere Motor Boat Racing Club. However at least during the week, anyone can stay in this mansion with its elegant curved bay windows and Windermere views.
The Arts & Crafts movement might have been traditional to medieval and pre-industrial craft. But it was driven by the contemporary romantic socialism i.e a better life for all, rather than a system driven by profit and privilege. Few Arts & Crafts men and women practiced after WW1. Yet the thread of English Architecture, from Morris and Ruskin onwards, searched for the modern spirit rather than offering mere parodies of the past. As we see in the best of the garden cities today!
In 1900 Voysey was the leading European representative in architecture and design whose influence on Mackintosh and Walton in the north was clear, as was that on Baillie-Scott and Ashbee in the south. He built what was to be simple, comfortable and enjoyable, living a homely and honest life amidst lovely gardens. Thank you to the Voysey Society.
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16 comments:
There is a distinct lack of clutter, with such openness and flow. The featured house looks both impressive and comfortable.
What were the principles that guided the Arts and Crafts movement?
Andrew
Especially in rather cold northern climates, Voysey greatly appreciated pleasure and light. Typical Victorian dark walls, furniture and decoration were full of respect and honour, but Voysey wanted openness and comfort, exactly as you noted.
Deb
Briefly the core characteristics of the Arts and Crafts movement were
1.A belief in craftsmanship which stresses the inherent beauty of the material,
2.The importance of nature as inspiration and
3.The value of simplicity, utility and beauty.
Then
4.Form always follows function;
5.Do not keep anything you do not believe to be useful or beautiful and
6.Use traditional methods of production
Read Daily Art https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/arts-and-crafts-interior-design/
why would the Racing Club want to open up to non members/strangers in their peaceful site?
Joe
Broad Leys has huge landscaped gardens, leading down to lake Windermere. Inside, the 6 bedrooms, hall, dining room and lounge bar show Charles Voysey's cleverness. The Racing Club added their contribution with many portraits, photos and important records.
The space is a tranquil treasure where people can get away from the big cities and unwind in greenery. But note upstairs only has six bedrooms, so remember to book ahead for week days and remember the prices are _not_ cheap. Thank you Voysey. Thank you Racing Club.
Boa tarde e um ótimo sábado com muita paz e saúde. Uma excelente matéria de qualidade e informações minha querida amiga.
Luiz
thank you. It is important to preserve and share architecture and interiors from a different era. Otherwise we assume this generation invented everything.
Hi Hels - thanks for sharing this with us ... us kids have fond memories of Windermere - my mother's first husband's parents lived near Ambleside and had a home overlooking the lake. She lost him in the War. Wonderful looking country house ... a place to visit at some stage - should I get a chance. Thank you - Hilary
Hilary
I hope you do get a chance to visit Broad Leys, and not just because of your close family's connection to the area. It is so important for all of us to be aware of the very special contributions that the Arts and Crafts Movement made to the mid-late 19th century. Many of the issues are still relevant today.
The proximity of Broad Leys to the lake, and the rooms' overlooking its water is of great value!
I like Voysey's indifference to 'ornate and intricate' and his preferring straight lines, open spaces, and functionality.
DUTA
Yes indeed. I knew a great deal about Morris, Walter Crane, Philip Webb, C Voysey, Charles Faulkner, M.H Baillie Scott, A.H Mackmurdo, Charles Ashbee etc etc. And I also learned a bit about the influence of the Craftsman School in the US. But I had never been inside a Arts and Crafts house, to poke around the architecture and the interiors. Whether we love Broad Leys or not, it is just about the only house we can visit to try and unpack Voysey's vision.
I first came across Voysey's work on one of my Underground walks around Chiswick Park. Apparently the old Sanderson factory was the only industrial building he designed.
Fun60
good on you for reminding me.. I had totally forgotten to say that.
Chiswick Timeline said the old Sanderson factory was indeed Voysey's only industrial building, making wallpaper as it happened. Tragically the main factory, completed in 1902, was critically damaged in a 1928 fire. And Winsford Cottage Hospital was Voysey's only Cottage Hospital building. Recently rescued and refurbished, guests are welcomed.
For a comprehensive list of Voysey's fascinating buildings by county, see https://www.voyseysociety.org/voysey/buildings.html#herts
This article is what I call a "window to residential architecture's soul". Every line of this article made me feel like I was right there and was walking through the landscapes that are painted by these famous and timeless artists.
This is exactly how I feel whenever I visit the Museum of Art & Photography’s (MAP) website or their building in Bengaluru. Each artefact makes me feel nostalgic, even though they were made before I was even born. That’s the power of art.
Museum
Thank you..I know exactly what you are saying. Since many of us are more visual than aural or smell focused, the pleasure of walking through old architecture, paintings, decorative arts and gardens lasts forever.
Thank you to Nikolaus Pevsner for highlighting this treasure, with terraced gardens, large curved bay windows and views over the lake, even before my first trip to the UK.
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