Walpole's Strawberry Hill House Restoration
Renovation of Fantasy Gothic Castle Reaches the Half-Way Point
Sep 15, 2009
On 10th September 2009, Strawberry Hill Trust announced the installation of a newly restored, strawberry-leaved, gilded weathervane at Strawberry Hill House, the 'Little Gothic Castle' created by Sir Horace Walpole. The occasion marked the half-way point in a massive restoration project due to be completed in 2010.
Horace Walpole - Gothic Enthusiast
Horace Walpole (1717-1797), 4th earl of Orford and son of England's first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, was a Member of Parliament, historian, playwright and author of the first Gothic novel The Castle of Otranto.
In 1747 Walpole purchased a five-acre estate with a modest house (dating from 1698), in Twickenham, West London. The property, Strawberry Hill House, is now internationally recognised because it was here that Walpole fulfilled his Gothic dream, which subsequently inspired a 19th-century Gothic revival in both literature and architecture.
Walpole's 'Little Gothic Castle'
Walpole referred to the house as 'his little Gothic castle'. His plan was to redesign and redecorate the property. Between 1747 and 1792 he doubled its size and incorporated several Gothic features such as towers and battlements.
Walpole's 'Committee of Taste'
Walpole was a man impassioned by style and architecture, and to help and guide him in his project he established "The Committee of Taste". The panel included close friends, designer John Chute and Richard Bentley, artist and draughtsman.
Walpole added a number of rooms including an oratory, bedrooms, library, gallery and armoury, with the result that the house is now regarded as one of the best examples of Georgian Gothic architecture. By the time he completed the project the estate had grown from five to 46 acres.
Horace Walpole – a Keen Collector
Walpole was an avid collector, filling his house with fine furniture, historical prints, rare books and manuscripts, antiquities, silverware, biblical scenes, sculptures, portrait miniatures and portraits of his ancestors.
Walpole also acquired poems and plays, published during King George III's reign, as well an impressive collection of painted and stained renaissance glass. The glass collection is currently undergoing specialist restoration.
Strawberry Hill – at Risk
Strawberry Hill, now a Grade l listed property, was placed on the World Monuments Fund list of 100 most endangered sites in 2004. It is also on the English Heritage Buildings at Risk register.
Restoring Strawberry Hill House
The restoration of the House is being undertaken by the Strawberry Hill Trust, with support from the Friends of Strawberry Hill. Almost £9 million has been donated by individuals, local societies, small and large charitable trusts including the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage, The Architectural Heritage Fund and The World Monuments Fund Britain.
As part of the restoration programme a considerable amount of historical research into the structure and interior of the house has been carried out with the result that Strawberry Hill House is now one of the UK's most documented historic buildings. Investigations inside the House have revealed Walpole's original trompe l'oeil designs previously hidden by many layers of paint.
Re-Opening of Strawberry Hill
The House and gardens will re-open to the public in the summer of 2010. The new centre will feature an educational and community space. A number of academic courses will be offered by St Mary's University College, a former lease-holder.
Horace Walpole and Strawberry Hill – Exhibition at V&A
The opening of Strawberry Hill House will coincide with an exhibition at London's V&A Museum, Horace Walpole and Strawberry Hill, curated by Michael Snodin, Chairman of the Strawberry Hill Trust.
The show will feature more than 250 items owned by Horace Walpole which have not been displayed together since they were removed from the house in 1842.
The exhibition will run from 6th March to 4th July 2010. Further details of the exhibition can be obtained from the V&A Museum. The full Strawberry Hill announcement can be read here.
BNC101
 |
