Kelmscott Manor

They love to welcome primary and secondary schools as well as FE and HE institutions to Kelmscott Manor, the country home of the great writer, designer, campaigner and political activist William Morris. Join them for creative, curriculum-based workshops, bespoke sessions and special projects!

Their school sessions are led by the Learning & Outreach Officer and her team of friendly and experienced volunteers. Their sessions are curriculum-based, hands-on, and enriching. They work with children and young people to help them grow in curiosity and knowledge, to develop skills and creativity, and to be inspired from the moment they set foot on their incredible site to their return to the classroom and beyond.

Primary schools can choose from their existing onsite sessions for KS1 and KS2 or contact the Learning & Outreach Officer to discuss bespoke options. They can work with you to tailor their sessions to the needs of your school.

Their purpose-built Learning Barn can accommodate a class size of 30 for workshops plus accompanying staff. Please get in touch if you would like to bring a larger group to discuss if special arrangements can be made to accommodate you.

Secondary schools and colleges can visit Kelmscott Manor to engage in subject-based sessions, including Art, Design, English, and History. Students will explore their collections in depth and produce creative or research work of their own. Get in touch with the Learning and Outreach Officer to discuss bespoke workshops for your group.

They encourage visits from specialist schools and colleges, and they will work with you to deliver a tailored programme of activities that meet the needs of all your students.

Their sessions usually begin at 9.45am and finish at 2.15pm. Please get in touch if you have any time constraints – they will adjust the timings where possible. If you’d like to work with them on a longer project, speak to the Learning & Outreach Officer about how they can produce a programme of activities to take place onsite and in the classroom over a few weeks, a term, or even a full year.

Accessibility: Kelmscott aim to be fully inclusive. Please let them know at the point of booking what access requirements your students or staff may have or get in touch to discuss specific arrangements. Their sessions are designed to be accessible to all students but can be differentiated to meet the specific access needs of members of your group. They offer sensory bags on request to help facilitate a visit for students with SEND. Please get in touch with the Learning & Outreach Officer to discuss how these might be used during your visit. Kelmscott Manor is located in the small village of Kelmscott, West Oxfordshire. They have a carpark on the edge of the village for all visitors, including schools, to use. The carpark is an approximately 10-minute walk from the Manor. Please let them know at the point of booking if there are any members of your group who will not be able to make the walk. They have an electric shuttle bus that can be requested to transport those who need it. Any students using the bus must be accompanied by a member of school staff. They are a historic site so while there is step-free access available to the ground floor of the house, the gardens, all surrounding outbuildings (including the Tea Room) and the Learning Barn, access to the upper floors of the Manor are via stairs only. There are handrails available on the stairs and the spiral staircase can be avoided by returning to the ground floor via the main staircase. Wheelchairs can be used throughout the site, including on the ground floor of the house. Due to the narrow doorways and for the protection of the collection they may ask visitors using motorised wheelchairs to transfer to one of their two manual wheelchairs before entering the house. Please get in touch if you require any additional information or would like to discuss specific arrangements for your class.

Curriculum links

Ages & suitability

Things to know

Accessibility

Find out everything you need to know about the Accessibility of this school trip in the link below.

We regularly check that the costs and information are the latest and most up-to-date. However, please contact us directly if you need any further information or have a particular question. Unless specified otherwise, all prices include VAT.