Strawberry Hill House Museum

Address: Strawberry Hill House, Waldegrave Road, Twickenham, London (Strawberry Hill)

Website: https://strawberryhillhouse.org.uk

Strawberry Hill House is an 18th-century Gothic Revival villa in Twickenham, England, created and embellished by writer and collector Horace Walpole. It is a noted early example of the Gothic revival style and influenced later Gothic interiors and decorative schemes.

The property contains elaborate Gothick interiors, decorative plasterwork and a collection of period furniture and prints; guided tours and temporary exhibitions interpret the house and Walpole’s collections. The house is compact but richly decorated, and visitors commonly view the main reception rooms and the distinctive gallery.

Horace Walpole acquired the Strawberry Hill estate in the mid 18th century and expanded the house and gardens over several decades to create the present Gothick composition. In the 20th and 21st centuries the house has been subject to conservation and restoration to repair historic decay and to reopen rooms to the public.

The house sits in Twickenham in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the north bank of the River Thames, approximately to the west-southwest of central London. It is served by local transport links from central London and by road.

• Founder: Purchased and transformed by Horace Walpole, who began work in the mid 18th century and created the house’s distinctive Gothic revival interiors.
• Restoration: Underwent a major conservation project and was reopened to the public after restoration works in the early 21st century.

From central London, take the South Western Railway to Twickenham (about 30 minutes from Waterloo) then a 20-25 minute walk or a short local bus (routes 281/490) to Strawberry Hill. There is a small railway halt called Strawberry Hill a few minutes’ walk from the house. By car, follow the A316 and then the A310; parking near the house is limited.

• Buy timed-entry tickets in advance during weekends and bank holidays - the house has limited capacity.
• Enter through the small doorway on the south side to see the wear on the original stone step that visitors have trodden for centuries.
• Look for the painted friezes and the Gothic tracery detail on the library ceiling - most visitors rush the main rooms and miss the upstairs cabinet.
• If visiting on a Saturday, pair the house with a walk along the Thames towpath to the nearby Strawberry Hill railway station (or a riverside café).