is a place in the
London Borough Of Richmond Upon Thames near
Twickenham . It is a suburban development situated 10.4 miles (16.7 km) west south-west of
Charing Cross .
It features "Strawberry Hill", the
18th Century fancifully "Gothick"
Villa of
Horace Walpole , a
Folly which he had built in stages to his own specification.
Walpole and two friends, including an architect (Chute) and draftsman (Bentley) called themselves a “Committee of Taste” which would modify the architecture of the building. They looked at many examples of architecture in England and in other countries, using such works as Henry VII’s chapel at Westminister abbey for inspiration for the fan vaulting of the gallery, while the bays, recesses and mirrors refer to Robert Adam’s interiors. Many of the exterior details of cathedrals he incorporated into the interior of the house. From the outside there were two predominant styles which seemed to be ‘mixed’; a style based on castles, with turrets and battlements, and a style based on gothic cathedrals, with arched windows, and stained glass.
The building evolved similar to how a medieval cathedral often evolved over time; there was no fixed plan from the beginning; Walpole added new features over a thirty-year period as he saw fit. The first stage to make a ‘little gothic castle’ began in 1749, a second stage in 1760, and there were other modifications such as work on the great north bedchamber in 1772, and Beauclerc tower in 1776.
The building described by Walpole as a 'little Gothic castle' is significant as it is one of the most influential individual buildings of such Rococo "Gothick" architecture which led to the
Gothic Revival of the nineteenth century, and for increasing use of gothic designs for houses. The type of style has variously been described as Georgian Gothic, Strawberry Hill Gothic, or Georgian Rococo.
Other local attractions include:
The local
Strawberry Hill Railway Station was built in
1873 and is an excellent example of the
Victorian Era railway building boom.
Jones, E. and Woodward, C. 1983, A Guide to the Architecture of London. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London
