Building    From 1619  To 1703

Mortlake Tapestry Works

Categories: Craft / Design

Barnes History has a nice hand-drawn map with a pin showing the location of these Tapestry Works, and it gives the history of the site. John Dee (1527 -1608) lived in a house on this site (with a large and important library) from 1566 until his death by which time he was very poor. In 1619 the estate was purchased and repurposed as the Mortlake Tapestry Works which employed skilled Flemish weavers to produce highly valued products. This closed in the early 18th century.

Another excellent source is Panorama of the Thames. This has another image of the river front which makes clear that the Lower Dutch House is the pink building, shown in our image, to the left of the steps down to the river. Our image is centred on the adjacent Queen's Head pub. The picture source website has researched the 'J.Firmston' named in the picture and this dates it to 1871-8. So the Lower Dutch House was still standing then.The name suggests there was another, upper, 'Dutch House' possibly standing further back from the river. 'Dutch' presumably came from the language/culture of the people working there.

The tapestries were so successful that Mortlake became famous for this product. The Lady Lever Art Gallery holds a set of the tapestries.

(The pub was rebuilt in 1885, closed in the 1940s and, by 2011 was developed into the residential Tapestry Court.)

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Mortlake Tapestry Works

Commemorated ati

Mortlake Tapestry Works

Site of the Lower Dutch House, part of the Mortlake Tapestry Works, 1619 - 1703.

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Other Subjects

Marion Dorn

Marion Dorn

Textile designer. Born on Christmas day, probably at Menlo Park, near San Francisco. She moved to Paris where she met and subsequently married the artist Edward McKnight Kauffer. At the outbreak of...

Person, Craft / Design, France, Morocco, USA

1 memorial
George Halfhide

George Halfhide

Successful seal engraver. 1796 in business with John Barnes. 1800 the business moved to 7 Coventry Street and shortly after Halfhide was in business on his own. His son, also George, joined the bus...

Person, Benefactor, Craft / Design

1 memorial
Sculpture Castings Ltd

Sculpture Castings Ltd

From their website: "Sculpture Castings is a leading fine art foundry based in Basingstoke, Hampshire. Offering the complete foundry service and using a range of traditional skills..." Oddly the Ar...

Group, Craft / Design, Sculpture

1 memorial
Southbank Mosaics / London School of Mosaic

Southbank Mosaics / London School of Mosaic

Southbank Mosaics actively promotes equal opportunities and cross-cultural, inter-generational mosaic art work. The studio aims to draw on the historic roots of local neighbourhoods traversed by Sh...

Group, Art, Community / Clubs, Craft / Design

26 memorials
Ruchita Shaikh

Ruchita Shaikh

Mosaic/ceramic artist, active c. 2005.

Person, Craft / Design

1 memorial