William Morris (1834–1896) was the most influential British designer of the nineteenth century as well as a craftsman, poet, conservationist and socialist campaigner. The extensive collections at the William Morris Gallery include his famous woven and printed textiles, embroideries, ceramics, stained glass, furniture, wallpaper and books. However the Gallery holds a substantial collection of fine art as well. This is largely due to the generous bequests of artwork by the artist Sir Frank Brangwyn RA (1867–1956), who shared Morris's belief that art should not exist for the privileged few. His gift to Walthamstow included some of his greatest oils, mural designs, prints and watercolours. Brangwyn also donated paintings and sculpture by a wide range of mainly late nineteenth-century British and Continental artists, including significant works by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The William Morris Gallery is housed in Morris's childhood home, a Grade II* listed Georgian building in its original grounds.