24 Sep 2010

Restored Gothic castle to reopen its doors

Following an extensive £2m restoration project a historic gothic castle, said to be the inspiration for the Houses of Parliament, is about to reopen to the public. Channel 4 News gets a sneak preview.

An impressive white turreted castle, said to be Britain’s finest example of Georgian gothic revival architecture is set to be opened to the public following a £9m restoration.

The Strawberry Hill Trust announced today that the two year long project is nearing completion and its gates will open on 2 October. It is expected to become one of he country’s major tourist and heritage attractions.

Michael Snodin, curator and chairman of the Strawberry Hill Trust said: “Is it the Parthenon of the Gothic revival? I think it probably is. There is nothing else like it in the whole world I think.”

Strawberry Hill castle
Strawberry Hill was built between 1747-1792, a gothic fantasy designed by Horace Walpole, who was an MP, historian, writer, collector and the son of Britain’s first prime minister.

Strawberry Hill also inspired Walpole to write what is often deemed the first Gothic novel ‘Castle of Otranto’ in 1764.

John Mullan, Professor of English at University College London told Channel 4 News: “When Walpole wrote the ‘Castle of Otranto,’ novels were about the things that happened in the real world, and Walpole was the first person to introduce into the English novel ghosts and ghouls and curses and the whole apparatus of the supernatural.”

The building set the trend for Gothic architecture which led to buildings such as the Houses of Parliament. But the structure, located on the banks of the River Thames in Twickenham fell into extreme disrepair, appearing on English Heritage’s At Risk Register in 1991.

The restoration project was facilitated by a £4.9m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, as well as partnership donations from English Heritage, World Monuments Fund Britain, The Architectural Heritage Fund as well as other donors.

Contrasting fashions of the time
Walpole created Strawberry Hill as a summer retreat along with friends and architects including Robert Adam.

Although the fashion of the time focused on classical symmetry, Strawberry Hill was built with irregularity to convey mystery, surprise and theatrics. Its appearance has often been likened to a wedding cake.

Many of the rooms have been restored to reflect how they would have looked in their original state. In addition the project has developed a fully equipped education centre, seminar room and museum room.

Walpoles’s extensive collection of paintings, furniture, sculpture and artefacts was sold at auction in 1842, and the Trust now wants to locate the treasures and return them to their former home.

Anna Chalcraft, chair of the committee that set up The Friends of Strawberry Hill says: “It is as though the house has awoken from a long and troubled sleep.”

The building was popular with tourists and sightseers in its time and the Trust hope it will have the same appeal today.