Horace Walpole kick-starts the Gothic revival in domestic architecture
In essence Walpole’s ‘built essay’ on architecture and gardening. As one of the group of Thames-side villas that survive from the 18th Century, Strawberry Hill’s significance in architectural style, political history and connections to the life of Horace Walpole is compelling. WMF Britain recognised this importance with its Watch Listing in 2004 and the facilitating of Wilson match funding. Just £500,000 is required now to meet the overall target.
Project overview
“My buildings are paper, like my writings, and both will blow away in ten years after I am dead,” fretted its owner. Horace Walpole died in 1790 yet remarkably Strawberry Hill is still standing over two hundred years later. His house is not just full of architectural and design innovations, but steeped in a strange atmosphere of ‘gloomth’, a deliberate invocation of the medieval Walpole loved. Read more
History
Strawberry Hill once enjoyed fine views down to the River Thames in West London. It stands out even among the other eighteenth century villas with its turrets, decorated chimneys, asymmetry and eclectic Gothic eccentricities and is in stark contrast to the restrained and classical Palladian style that was so widespread and fashionable at the time. Its proximity to central London and its spectacular collections made it a popular visitor attraction.Read more
It is one of those that, like the ‘House in the Clouds’, or ‘Clouds Hill’, kidnaps the imagination. And, once visited, Horace Walpole's dandy-house stays sharply focused in the mind's eye of everyone with the slightest streak of whimsy or romance in their make up.
Jonathan Glancey, Architectural Editor of The Guardian
A prime monument of the Gothic Revival, thanks to Walpole’s taste and flair, Strawberry Hill Gothick has become a style in its own right.
Marcus Binney, Architecture Correspondent of The Times
Location
Lat: 51.443362, Lon: -0.331135
Facts
Location: Twickenham, near London, England
Project dates: 2004 - present
WMF Britain funds raised: Approximately £1,724,906
Key Funders: The Robert W. Wilson Challenge to Conserve Our Heritage, The Heritage Lottery Fund, The Foyle Foundation, The Linbury Trust, The Garfield Weston Foundation, The Wolfson Foundation and English Heritage among others
Watch List: Listed in 2004
Links: www.strawberryhilltrust.org or www.friendsofstrawberryhill.org Additional Information: Strawberry Hill can be visited on Sunday afternoons from Easter to October 2008 when the house will close for restoration. Strawberry Hill is scheduled to reopen in Spring 2010 to coincide with the Horace Walpole exhibition at the V & A.
Project partners and conservators
The Strawberry Hill Trust
Architects – Peter Inskip, Inskip + Jenkins
Project Managers – Fanshawe LLP
Quantity Surveyor – Fanshawe LLP
Structural Engineer – Mann Williams
Cost Consultant – Dearle and Henderson
Specialist Contractors – Chapel Glass Studio; The Landscape Agency; Martin Thomas, Mechanical and Electrical Services; Dr Michael Peover, Glass Consultant; Catherine Hassall, Paint Analysis; Adrian Cave, Access Consultant and Cliveden Conservation Ltd