Walker was an important figure in the English Arts and Crafts movement, and a close friend of textile designer William Morris, who lived nearby.

The property is under the ownership of the Emery Walker Trust, a registered charity,[2] who describe it as "the last authentic Arts and Crafts interior in Britain".

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Terrace was home to several artists and creative professionals, including the actor F. G. Stephens and calligrapher Edward Johnston.

[8] Initially, there were fears that financial constraints would prevent future openings,[9] but the house offers prebooked guided tours to individuals and groups each summer since.

[8] The property also features patterned wall-hangings and a blue flatweave rug from the Morris household, the latter bought by Dorothy at a house contents sale in 1939.

[5] The house's inventory also includes documents, such as an original proof of The Earthly Paradise by Morris and letters from Rudyard Kipling, and a teapot belonging to Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

[8] Miscellaneous personal possessions of Walker's also remain in the house, including souvenirs from his voyages abroad, and his 1933 National Trust membership card.