de Morgan (1839-1917) was a great ceramist and potter, and latterly a not so good novelist, who set up a works in Fulham, in 1888. He lived at what was then 1, The Vale, Chelsea, and is now commemorated by a Blue Plaque here at 127, Old Church Street, Chelsea, with his wife Evelyn for 22 years. Evelyn designed many of the ceramic pieces created at the Fulham works. A major commission executed at Fulham was the tiling for a famed feature of Leighton House in Kensington which was the home of Frederic, First Baron Leighton of Stretton, (1830-96) an artist and sculptor. The feature of the house is the Arab Room which is tiled across the ceiling, walls and floor. De Morgan and Leighton were prominent members of the Pre-Raphaelite artistic movement. The memorial stone in Chelsea Old Church says of his work that he was:
'recreating in ceramic work, upon his own vigorous designs, the colour of the Persian and the lustre of the great Umbrian craftsmen.'
And of his character that he was:
'beloved by all who knew the breadth of his intellectual interest, his catholic sympathy, genial humour and lambent wit.'
The business in Fulham was not very successful and when de Morgan's health deteriorated in 1908 he closed it down, destroyed the note-books recording the secrets of the processes he had used and took up writing novels.

O/S Co-ords:2683.7783
Source(s):

The Blue Plaque Guide to London Homes

Chelsea

Chambers Biographical Dictionary

A History of Fulham