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A Pre-Raphaelite Tour of London

The Pre-Raphaelites revelled in the wonders of nature
The Pre-Raphaelites revelled in the wonders of nature | © Guildhall Art Gallery

The original rebels of British art revelled in the wonders of nature as opposed to the ideals of the Renaissance that were lauded by the Royal Academy. Their images of flame-haired women and tableaus of literary tales gained them worldwide acclaim both at home and abroad. Here are some of the best places in London to experience the works of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, from paintings and prints to stained glass.

1. The Pre-Raphaelite works to see at Tate Britain

Art Gallery, Building, Museum

London, UK. 5 September 2018. A visitor views Ophelia, 1851-52, by John Everett Millais, at Tate Britain, ahead of the launch of a major new exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) in December 2018. Over forty Pre-Raphaelite works will
© Stephen Chung / Alamy Stock Photo

As one might expect from a museum dedicated to British art, Tate Britain has some of the greatest works from the Pre-Raphaelite movement in its collection. It holds one of the most recognisable works of art in the world, Sir John Everett Millais’s Ophelia (1851-1852), which depicts the doomed Shakespearian heroine in a lake filled with flowers. The stunning portrait known as Monna Vanna (Vain Woman, 1866) by Dante Gabriel Rossetti depicts a gloriously poised woman in luxurious clothing, complete with ostentatious hair clips and a feather fan. The artist considered it one of his best works.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s ‘Monna Vanna’ depicts a gloriously poised woman in luxurious clothing

2. The Pre-Raphaelite Café at the V&A

Museum

williammorrisroom
© Victoria and Albert Museum
When the V&A hired William Morris to decorate one of the new rooms for the first-ever museum café, he had yet to find fame as one of the country’s greatest artists and designers. However, his signature Arts and Crafts style nonetheless permeates this beautiful gilded room, which he decorated with the help of his friends Philip Webb and Sir Edward Burne-Jones. The museum’s collection also houses countless examples of William Morris’s textile designs and printing blocks, and a considerable number of photographs recording the lives of members of the brotherhood.

3. The Pre-Raphaelite highlights at Guildhall Art Gallery

Art Gallery, Museum

Guildhall and Guildhall Art Gallery in the City of London
© Iain Winfield / Alamy Stock Photo
Guildhall Art Gallery is nestled within London’s Square Mile, moments from the Barbican and the bustle of the financial district. Among its important collection of Victorian art are Sir John Everett Millais’s The Woodman’s Daughter (1851) and Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s La Ghirlandata(The Garland Women, 1873), both of which were bequeathed to the gallery in 1902 by Charles Gassiot, a City wine merchant. Other highlights include Sir Edward Poynter’s epic Israel in Egypt(1867).
Sir John Everett Millais’s ‘The Woodman’s Daughter’ (1851) was bequeathed to the gallery in 1902

4. Step inside a Pre-Raphaelite home at Leighton House

Building, Museum, Park

Leighton House Museum silk room
© Will Pryce
Although Lord Frederic Leighton was a self-described enemy of the Pre-Raphaelites, he had to admit that they shared an affinity with nature, poetic idealism and a distaste for traditional narrative, not to mention a tendency to paint beautiful women. Leighton’s incredible studio-home was the first of its kind when it was built and features an astonishing array of glazed tile work, vaulted ceilings and a collection of the artist’s work, including one of the last pieces he ever painted, titled Clytie(1890-1892).

5. Pre-Raphaelite design at William Morris Gallery

Art Gallery, Museum

Lawn and driveway facade of William Morris Gallery, London
© Arcaid Images / Alamy Stock Photo
The former childhood home of the Arts and Crafts pioneer is an award-winning gallery nowadays, featuring furniture, prints, textile designs, tapestries, photographs and ephemera relating to his career as not only an artist and designer but also as a Socialist campaigner. The gallery explores his printing techniques, deft craftsmanship and manifestos relating to workers’ rights. There are also plenty of examples of work by his peers, including designs for stained-glass windows by Sir Edward Burne-Jones.
This stained-glass design is by Sir Edward Burne-Jones and can be seen at the William Morris Gallery

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

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We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.

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