An afternoon at Strawberry Hill House – Hugo Wilkinson Freemens

Horace Walpole bought the land for Strawberry Hill in 1747 with the concept of a small gothic castle in his mind. It was originally built as Walpole’s summer home, or villa, where he would entertain multiple guests a day. The interior is a showcase of Walpole’s eccentric style, featuring brightly coloured rooms, awe-inspiring highly detailed stained glass windows and a collection of incredible paintings that Walpole hired famous artists to produce.

Walpole’s attention to detail in the renovation of his house carried over to his five-acre, now a Grade II* listed, garden as he created a beautiful romantic garden inspired by William Kent. He incorporated a variety of plants that would introduce a quality fragrance throughout the garden. Walpole’s garden leads directly to one of the most astounding parts of the River Thames.

The whole property has been restored to its original appearance through extensive repairs to the roof, carpets, chimneys, wallpapers and the great tower. The garden has been restored to its original image as well through maps and paintings from the 18th century that were discovered with large parts of the garden being replanted.

The house was the inspiration for the first-ever Gothic novel written by Horace Walpole, titled ‘The Castle of Otranto’. It started the trend of Gothic novels as Walpole had a subtitle of ‘A Gothic Story’. The story was stimulated by a nightmare that Walpople had and he did not originally credit himself as a writer, instead choosing for it to be ‘Translated by William Marshal, Gent. From the Original Italian of Onuphrio Muralto, Canon of the Church of St. Nicholas at Otranto’. When Walpole eventually did take credit for writing the novel it lost some popularity with people know knowing that it was from a real person.

Strawberry Hill House is an amazing place to visit and to trigger inspiration, from the intricately and expertly crafted stained-glass windows to the fascinating architecture of the library, Strawberry Hill House will educate you and move you with its captivating background and story.