Description:

Excitment in Twickenham as following a £9 milllion pound repair & restoration project, the Gothic Castle creation of Horace Walpole, is now open to the public. The restoration of the iconic 18th century building was made possible by funds received from the Heritage Lottery Funded and English Heritage.

Horace Walpole (1717 - 1797) son of Sir Robert, Britain's first Prime Minister, built Strawberry Hill to house his vast collection of treasures.He set about transforming what was then a couple of cottages in fashionable Twickenham, into his ‘little gothic castle’ on the Thames with pinnacles, battlements and a round tower set in meadows and gardens. It became a popular tourist attraction in his own time but he had specific rules relating to visitors, one being that no children were allowed. It was the inspiration for the first ever gothic novel , The Castle of Otranto', following a dream he had there. The novel further inspired Mary Shelley's Dracula.

 

Strawberry Hill was purchased for St Mary's College in Twickenham in 1923 but later leased to The Strawberry Hill Trust in 2007 to restore and open to the public.  Prior to the restoration project, every inch of the building was investigated and experts in painted glass, wallpaper, paint and textiles were consulted to ensure a sympathic and detailed restoration. The 450 pieces of renaissance glass that Walpole had assembled for his windows at Strawberry Hill have all been removed for painstaking restoration by Chapel Studio Ltd. They will be returned to their original positions before the grand opening. A total of 356 metres of jacquard worsted damask have been woven for the walls of the magnificent Long Gallery. The natural ecru colour of the wool has been dyed crimson to match Walpole’s original colour.

 

Walpole's Great Cloister will house a new cafe opening onto the restored gardens. With a new shop, two fully equipped education rooms and a museum space, Strawberry Hill will once again prove itself to be a great tourist attraction and a real treat for visitors. It will be a splendid location for special events, corporate parties and civil ceremonies.

 

The new Discovery Room will reveal the three centuries of the building’s development and there will be an introductory film documenting the restoration. Guided tours will be available for pre-booked groups in keeping with Walpole's tradition of showing his ‘little Gothic castle' to visitors.

 

The scaffolding is finally being taken down and  advance bookings for special guided tours for groups from September 2010 are being organised by the Friends of Strawberry Hill. Strawberry Hill, Twickenham is sure to become a well recognised and iconic local landmark in Richmond upon Thames once again.

 

Most recently, in September 2010, it was the focal point of an historic occasion when Pope Benedict XVI visited and celebrated  with more than 3,500 British school children. This address included the inauguration of the John Paul II Institute for Sport, launched to encourage young people to become more passionately involved with sport, particularly in the run-up to the 2012 London Olympics.

 

For further information please contact Claire Leighton on 0208 744 3124. E mail Tours@FriendsOfStrawberryHill.org

 

 

Opening times

 

We are open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday

12:00 – 16:20 (last admission)

 

2010: 2 October – 22 December

2011: 2 April – 2 November

 

Please note that the house will be closed on November 15th, 16th, 17th, 22nd, 23rd and 24th to allow completion of internal decoration. All bookings already made for these dates will be honoured.

Admission prices

 

Adult £8.00 (£7.25); concessions £7.00 (£6.30); child 5-15yrs £5.00 (£4.45); family £20.00 (£18.10). Prices in brackets are without Gift Aid.

 

If you have a 2 for 1 voucher you can use it once you have selected your tickets.