Worsley Hall, Lancashire, Antique Morris Woodblock Print, circa 1870

Seen across a lake and doubled in its reflection, the house in this antique print of Worsley Hall, Lancashire, is a long, gabled Jacobean revival front in warm golden stone, printed in color by Benjamin Fawcett for Morris's Picturesque Views of Seats, circa 1870. A central tower and a run of pinnacled gables crown this country house view.

A line of dark conifers and deciduous trees runs along the near bank, their forms doubled more softly beneath the water. The roofline is unusually varied, with several distinct gable heights and a tall central tower breaking the horizontal line of the facade, all kept in a consistent stone-gold tone that reads clearly against the darker trees and the cooler blue-gray of the lake. The reflection is printed in the same colors as the building but in a softer, slightly broken register, suggesting moving water without resorting to a literal wave pattern.

William Mackenzie of London published A Series of Picturesque Views of Seats of the Noblemen and Gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland from the 1860s to the 1880s, edited by the Reverend Francis Orpen Morris (1810 to 1893), the clergyman and naturalist of History of British Birds fame; this plate is from an issue of circa 1870. Benjamin Fawcett (1808 to 1893) of Driffield, among the finest color woodblock printers of the Victorian period, printed each color from its own block in register; the color is printed rather than applied by hand.

This antique print of Worsley Hall, Lancashire, is an original Victorian plate removed from the book, ready for framing, and a fine choice for owners and admirers of the house or collectors of English country house views. The print has its original wide margins, with the title Worsley Hall set in small capitals beneath the image.

This antique print is in good condition for its age. The paper shows light toning consistent with age, together with a few small spots in the margins and small nicks along the lower edge from the former binding. Please review the images for further condition details.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.