A Little Gothick Castle

Opening shots of a Palladian or classical house leave us in no doubt about Horace Walpole's tastes: this is the very style of domestic architecture which he disliked so much. In 1747 his move to Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, near London, gave him the chance to express his aversion by redesigning the original house there and to realize, aided by his `Committee on Taste,' his dream of a `Little Gothick Castle.' After views of Strawberry Hill at night, the `gothic' atmosphere enhanced by organ music, thunderclaps and readings from Walpole's sensational novel The Castle of Otranto, we are taken on a tour of Strawberry Hill, showing how Walpole drew inspiration from Westminster Abbey and old St Paul's, how he chose the design and the decorative details, and what Victorian alterations were made later. Walpole's enthusiasm for painted glass and for gardening is also described, and his reaction to the crowds of visitors who descended upon his `castle.' And then comes the final question - what was the real importance of Strawberry Hill?

© 1998-2001 The Roland Collection & Pira Intl.