His introduction to the guidebook began like this: This little book explained to visitors the contents of each room, and also acted as a souvenir. In 1757 the Strawberry Hill Press was founded, and Walpole used this private press to publish not only his own work and that of his friends, but alsoВ to print the guide to his home. He did, however, produce an informative guidebook for visitors to Strawberry Hill. Visitors in the 18th Century were encouraged to apply for tickets, which admitted four adults (no children were permitted) to visit the grand rooms, usually accompanied by WalpoleвЂ™s housekeeper rather than the man himself, who often retreated to a cottage in the grounds when visitors were present. Today, Strawberry Hill is a popular visitor attraction, and the situation was no different when Walpole lived there. Fragments of WalpoleвЂ™s original painted wallpaper on the staircase

All of the wallpaper produced for Strawberry Hill during the restoration was manufactured with the same techniques and materials that would have been used during WalpoleвЂ™s time вЂ“ as a result, visitors are reminded not to touch or brush against the walls, as the painted wallpaper is far less robust than modern wall coverings. Fortunately for those restoring the entrance hall, fragments of the old wallpaper painted to look like the walls of a tomb survive вЂ“ they are preserved today. Most of the entrance hall was restored to its original appearance during the recent restoration of Strawberry Hill, which cost almost ВЈ9 million. Walpole coined the phrase вЂњgloomthвЂќ to describe the atmosphere in the old Gothic buildings that inspired his work at Strawberry Hill. Stepping into the hallway of Strawberry Hill, the visitor is plunged into the gloom of a space painted to resemble a tomb. While many of the other priveliged young people of the time were inspired by the Greek and Roman buildings they saw on their Grand Tours, Walpole was taken in by the beauty and elegance of the medieval Gothic buildings of northern Europe. WalpoleвЂ™s fascination with the Gothic style of architecture stemmed from the grand tombs and cathedrals he encountered as a young man on a Grand Tour through Europe.

Strawberry Hill can be seen in the background (image from Wikimedia Commons) Portrait of Horace Walpole by John Giles Eccardt, 1754. The Gothic style he chose to embrace at Strawberry Hill was not at all fashionable in the 18th Century, when grand homes tended to be constructed in the Palladian style вЂ“ WalpoleвЂ™s вЂњGothic CastleвЂќ was irregular, anachronistic and, unsurprisingly, the talk of the town. From Strawberry HillвЂ™s humble beginnings as ChoppвЂ™d Straw Hall, he transformed it вЂ“ over a long period of time вЂ“ into a unique space to showcase the many books and artefacts he collected throughout his life. Clever, creative and curious, he was fortunate enough to have a private income (his father, Sir Robert Walpole, had been Prime Minister and Earl of Orford), and as a lifelong bachelor had enough time on his hands to make his visions a reality. Horace Walpole was a man ahead of his time. Walpole, perhaps unsurprisingly, wasnвЂ™t too fond of this name and while searching through some old deed relating to the land heвЂ™d just purchased, he found the name вЂњStrawberry HillвЂќ, which he then adopted as the name for his new home.

When Horace Walpole bought the house on this site in 1749, it was a small 17th Century building of little distinction, known as ChoppвЂ™d Straw Hall. I visited Strawberry Hill on a very gloomy Saturday afternoon, which didnвЂ™t really do the houseвЂ™s bright white walls justice, but the house had only reopened a few weeks earlier after an extensive restoration and despite the grey weather the house was clean and jewel-bright вЂ“ and quite possibly one of the oddest homes IвЂ™ve ever visited. Strawberry Hill House, home of the eccentric man of letters Horace Walpole during the second half of the 18th Century, is arguably the birthplace not only of the Gothic revival, but also of the Gothic novel. Gleaming white walls, battlements, Gothic pinnacles and a round tower stand out against more restrained neighbours. Among the smart suburban homes of Twickenham is a very strange house.

Strawberry hill