The Edward Burne-Jones Room

The Edward Burne-Jones Room

Edward Burne-Jones, the celebrated Pre-Raphaelite artist, spent his later years in Rottingdean. He moved here in the 1880s, seeking peace away from London’s pressures. Burne-Jones purchased North End House on the village green, where he lived with his family and welcomed frequent visitors, including his close friend William Morris.

Rottingdean offered Burne-Jones not only tranquillity but also artistic inspiration. The surrounding South Downs, the sea, and the secluded village life appealed to his romantic sensibilities. While living here, he continued to work on major commissions, including stained-glass designs for Morris & Co., as well as drawings and paintings filled with mythological and medieval themes.

Among the works he produced during his time in Rottingdean was The Flower Book, a private project that he began in the 1880s and worked on intermittently until his death. Contrary to its name, the book is not a botanical study, but a collection of 38 exquisite watercolours inspired by the names of flowers, each reimagined through myth, legend, or personal fantasy. These miniature paintings reflect Burne-Jones’s lifelong love of storytelling and his unique visual imagination. Though created for his own enjoyment and not intended for public display, the work is now recognised as one of his most intimate and inventive creations.

His time in Rottingdean was marked by community involvement and a love for the local landscape. He was known to take long walks on the Downs and maintained a deep affection for the Sussex coast. His legacy remains in the village today—particularly in St Margaret’s Church, where his stained-glass windows and memorials honour both his artistic achievements and personal connection to Rottingdean.

Burne-Jones died in 1898. He is buried in the churchyard of St Margaret’s here in Rottingdean.

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