Presenting architecture as ‘the prettiest bauble you ever saw’, Horace Walpole’s Strawberry Hill, has opened to the public.
The press statement says: ‘The first phase of the £8.9 million restoration of the structure and major show rooms of Strawberry Hill is nearing completion. On 2 October the Strawberry Hill Trust will reopen the doors of the villa to the general public, allowing them to see the results of nearly two years of work on the site.
Although not all the rooms of the house will be available to tourists, and important conservation work continues in those that are, the atmosphere of the building is now truly of gothic elegance and sure to capture the imaginations of all who choose to visit.
Tickets, which we strongly recommend be pre-booked online or on the telephone, will give access to one of the most unique architectural achievements of the 18th century. Included in the price is an abridged version of Walpole’s own Description of Strawberry Hill, the original guidebook to the house.
Visitors can also choose a free-of-charge audio guide in which Walpole and his house-keeper Margaret Youngs show off the house and create a few gothic surprises along the way.
Like the innovative creator of the house, the Strawberry Hill Trust is also “keeping an inn at the sign of the gothic castle”. Our café will serve delicious lunches, cakes, teas and coffees from the elegant surroundings of the cloister looking out onto the garden.’
www.strawberryhillhouse.org.uk
Strawberry Hill House News: LINK
