 In 1952 , Hollamby and his family moved into the Red House , embarking on projects to renovate and restore it . A great fan of the house 's original inhabitant , he also involved himself in the early activities of the William Morris Society , which held a number of meetings at the property . Awarded an OBE for his career in 1970 , from 1969 to 1981 Hollamby worked as Director of Architecture , Planning and Development for the London Borough of Lambeth , before moving to work for the London Docklands Development Corporation from 1981 to 1985 . He continued restoring Red House in later life , opening it up to visitors and establishing the Friends of Red House charity in 1998 . 
