Red House is of enormous international significance in the history of domestic architecture and garden design. The only house commissioned by William Morris, it was designed and built in 1859 by his friend and colleague, architect Philip Webb. It was Webb's first house and was strongly influenced by Gothic medieval architecture. It is constructed with the emphasis on natural materials - warm red brick is set under a steep red-tiled roof - and there are numerous original features, including some items of fixed furniture designed by Morris and Webb, as well as wall paintings and stained glass by Edward Burne-Jones.