Charles Robert Ashbee (London, May 17, 1863–Sevenoaks, Kent, May 23, 1942) was a designer and entrepreneur who was a prime mover of the English Arts and Crafts movement that took its craft ethic from the works of John Ruskin and its co-operative structure from the socialism of William Morris. Jump to: navigation, search May 17 is the 137th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (138th in leap years). ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Sevenoaks is a town in Kent, in south-east England. ... Jump to: navigation, search May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the year. ... Jump to: navigation, search Look up Entrepreneur on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Entrepreneur is a loanword from the French language that refers to a person who undertakes and operates a new venture, and assumes some accountability for the inherent risks. ... Jump to: navigation, search Artichoke wallpaper, by John Henry Dearle for William Morris & Co. ... Jump to: navigation, search Upper: Steel-plate engraving of Ruskin as a young man, made circa 1845, scanned from print made circa 1895. ... Jump to: navigation, search The color red and particularly the red flag are traditional symbols of Socialism. ... Jump to: navigation, search This page is about William Morris, the writer, designer and socialist. ...

He was the son of businessman and pornography expert Henry Spencer Ashbee. After reading History at King's College (1883–86) and studying under the architect George Frederick Bodley, Ashbee set up his Guild and School of Handicraft in 1888, at first housed in temporary space in London and by 1890 with workships at Essex House, Mile End Road, in the East End with a retail outlet that was more accessible to the Guild's patrons in Brook Street, Hanover Square. In 1902 the works moved to Chipping Campden in the picturesque Cotswolds of Gloucestershire, where a sympathetic Anglo-American community provided local patrons, but where the market for craftsman-designed furniture and metalwork was saturated by 1905. The Guild was liquidated in 1907. Henry Spencer Ashbee (21 April 1834-29 July 1900) was a writer and bibliographer. ... There are a number of institutions known as Kings College: Kings College, Hong Kong, Kings College in Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong Kings College, Uganda, Kings College in Wakiso district, Uganda Kings College, Cambridge, a constituent college of the University of Cambridge Kings College... George Frederick Bodley (1827 - 21 October 1907), English architect working in the Gothic revival style. ... The term East End is most commonly used to refer to the East End of London. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1902 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Location within the British Isles. ... The Cotswolds are a range of hills in central England, sometimes called the heart of England, a hilly area reaching nearly 300 m or 1000 feet. ... Royal motto (Yokel): OFF MY LAND CUNT (Translated: The Rolling Stones- Gimme Shelter) Republic of Gloucesters location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital Gloucester de facto Largest city Cheltenham Emperor Headspeath the VI Area - Total Ranked 4th UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (mid-2004) - Density... 1907 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

The Guild of Handicraft specialised in metalworking, producing jewellery and enamels as well as hand-wrought copper and wrought ironwork, and furniture. The School attached to the Guild taught crafts. Ashbee himself was willing to do complete house design, including interior furniture and decoration, as well as items such as fireplaces. The Guild operated as a co-operative, and its stated aim was to:

"seek not only to set a higher standard of craftsmanship, but at the same time, and in so doing, to protect the status of the craftsman. To this end it endeavours to steer a mean between the independence of the artist— which is individualistic and often parasitical— and the trade-shop, where the workman is bound to purely commercial and antiquated traditions, and has, as a rule, neither stake in the business nor any interest beyond his weekly wage" [1].

Later the Guild turned to book production after Morris's Kelmscott Press closed in 1897; Ashbee took on many of the Kelmscott printers and craftsmen and set up the Essex House Press. Between 1898 and 1910 the Essex House Press produced more than 70 titles. This page is about William Morris the writer, designer and socialist. ...

The London County Council's introduction of the Polytechnic Institutes, which took on craftworkers at a minimal charge, was inspired by Ashbee's Guild and School, which it out-competed and drove out of business.

A widely-illustrated suite of furniture was made by the Guild for the Grand Duke of Hess at Darmstadtto designs of M. H. Baillie Scott, Jump to: navigation, search Map of Germany showing Darmstadt Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland (federal state) of Hessen in Germany. ...

C.R. Ashbee's papers, including his journals are at Kinmg's College [2].

Further reading

• F. MacCarthy, 1981. Simple Life: C.R. Ashbee in the Cotswolds (University of California Press)
• A. Crawford, 1986. C.R. Ashbee, Architect, Designer & Romantic Socialist (Yale University Press)

External links

• Charles Robert Ashbee
• Victorian Web: C. R. Ashbee, an overview
• Charles Robert Ashbee on-line; guide to illustrations