Although the rural character of this area was to change within Morris's lifetime, in the mid-nineteenth century it still maintained a sense of being cut off from London. This was mainly due to the broad marshlands of the River Lea, a tributary of the Thames which formed a natural barrier separating the area from the capital's easternmost reaches. The wide green sea of the Essex marshland, with the great domed line of the sky, and the sun shining down in one food of peaceful light over the long distance.
尽管在莫里斯的有生之年，此地充溢着乡土气息的特征千变万化。然而，于19世纪中叶，该地与伦敦之间，仍旧保持着一种相互隔绝的感觉。这主要缘于利亚河那广袤无垠的沼泽地。作为泰晤士河的一支支流，利亚河构筑起一道将该地区与伦敦最东端地区隔绝开来的天然屏障。埃塞克斯的沼泽地宛若一望无际的绿色汪洋，苍穹之上，呈现出硕大的半球形弧线；而太阳则以一道滋养世间万物的祥和之光芒普照着远方。
