Strawberry Hill House is a Gothic Revival villa in Twickenham, south-west London, built by Horace Walpole, author of The Castle of Otranto, from 1749 onward and regarded as the prototype of the Strawberry Hill Gothic style. Now an independent museum run by the Strawberry Hill Trust, it is open Wednesday to Sunday, with the house open from 10am to 5pm and a free garden and café, and the nearest station, Strawberry Hill, is a 5 to 10 minute walk away.

History of Strawberry Hill House

Horace Walpole and Chopp’d Straw Hall, 1747

Horace Walpole, born in 1717, was the third son of Sir Robert Walpole, Britain’s first Prime Minister, and was educated at Eton College and King’s College, Cambridge. His father secured him three sinecure positions that paid for his creative and social life, and from 1739 to 1741 he made a Grand Tour whose European influences show in the house’s design. According to the house’s own history, in 1747 Walpole discovered and bought Chopp’d Straw Hall, a pair of cottages on one of the last available sites on the Thames in fashionable Twickenham. He renamed it Strawberry Hill after finding the name in an old lease, which described the land as Strawberry Hill Shot.

Building the Little Gothic Castle, 1749 to 1776

Strawberry Hill House was built in stages: Walpole began transforming the cottages into what he called his little Gothic castle in 1749, finished the first stage by 1753, and rebuilt and extended the house further in 1760, 1772 and 1776, adding pinnacles, battlements and a round tower. Much of the design came from Walpole’s friends, known as the Committee of Taste, chiefly John Chute and Richard Bentley, who based chimney pieces, doors and ceilings on Gothic vaulting, medieval tombs and rose windows. The poet Thomas Gray summed the result up as Gothic detail, gilding and looking glass. The house is regarded as the prototype of the Strawberry Hill Gothic style, and it prefigured the Gothic Revival of the 19th century.

The Castle of Otranto, 1764

The Castle of Otranto, written by Walpole in 1764, is widely regarded as the first Gothic novel, and the house says he was inspired by a nightmare he had at Strawberry Hill; the dream reportedly featured a gigantic hand in armour. The first edition presented the book as a translation of an Italian manuscript, and the second edition added the subtitle A Gothic Story, which gave the genre its name. The novel is set in Italy rather than Twickenham, and the architectural historian Michael Snodin has noted the irony that its gloomy interiors were suggested by the light, elegant and whimsical rooms of Strawberry Hill.

A Tourist Attraction in Walpole’s Lifetime

Strawberry Hill House became a tourist attraction in Walpole’s own lifetime. According to the house, he allowed four visitors a day, with tours led by his housekeeper, and published rules for their guidance that barred children. He also entertained foreign ambassadors, royalty and aristocrats, several of them near neighbours; he joked that dowagers filled the neighbourhood like flounders. Walpole left some 7,000 letters and wrote A Description of the Villa of Horace Walpole, an account of the house and its collection.

Walpole’s Collection and the Great Sale of 1842

After Walpole died in 1797, Strawberry Hill passed to his cousin’s daughter, the sculptor Anne Seymour Damer, and in 1811 to his great-niece Elizabeth Waldegrave, then to her grandson John Waldegrave, and then to John’s brother George, the 7th Earl Waldegrave. According to the house, George, having been imprisoned for riotous behaviour, took against Twickenham and vowed to let the house fall into ruin. In 1842 he held the Great Sale, at which most of Walpole’s collection was sold over the course of a week. The Lost Treasures of Strawberry Hill exhibition, held from October 2018 to February 2019 with the Lewis Walpole Library at Yale University, reunited more than 150 objects from the collection in the house.

Lady Waldegrave, the De Sterns and St Mary’s

Frances, Lady Waldegrave, who married four times, is credited by the house with saving Strawberry Hill from ruin and adding the grand entertaining spaces now called the Waldegrave Wing. In 1883 the house was bought by Herman, Baron de Stern, a member of the European merchant banking family. It was bought in 1923 by St Mary’s Catholic College, now St Mary’s University, and became the home and teaching quarters of the Vincentian Fathers in 1925; the university still owns the site and occupies the Waldegrave Wing.

Restoration and Reopening, 2007 to 2010

In 2007 St Mary’s leased the house to the Strawberry Hill Trust, which carried out a restoration supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The house puts the cost at £10 million, though some sources say £9 million. Items from the house featured in a Victoria and Albert Museum exhibition from March to July 2010, and Strawberry Hill House reopened to the public on 2 October 2010.

Why Strawberry Hill House Matters

Strawberry Hill House matters because it shows how a private taste for the medieval became a national style: the house’s popularity was a key factor in the emergence of the Gothic Revival, and its mission now describes it as the global home of the Gothic. It is also a rare survivor of a collector’s house, restored as an independent museum rather than absorbed into a larger body. The Thames connects it with Hampton Court Palace, about two hours away on foot along the Thames Path, according to the house.

Visiting Strawberry Hill House: Practical Information

Opening hours: House and shop: Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm, with last entry at 4pm, including bank holidays; the house opens seven days a week during school holidays. Garden and café: Wednesday to Friday, 9.30am to 5pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 9am to 5pm. Some older listings show different days and times, so use the house’s own website for anything you plan around.

Ticket prices (booked online): Standard adult £16.50; over-65s £14.50; students £10; ages 6 to 16 £8.25; ages 5 and under free. English Heritage members and Richmond Card holders pay £14.50; National Art Pass holders, house members and carers enter free. A ticket includes the house, the garden and any exhibitions on the day. Tickets bought on arrival cost more and are subject to availability, and tickets are non-refundable. The booking page offers an optional Gift Aid donation for UK taxpayers. Book through the house’s ticket site.

The garden: The garden is free to visit, according to the house, and the Garden Café can be visited without a house ticket.

Getting there: The address is 268 Waldegrave Road, Twickenham, TW1 4ST. Strawberry Hill station, on trains from London Waterloo (four an hour Monday to Saturday and two an hour on Sundays), is a 5 to 10 minute walk. By Underground, take the District line to Richmond, then the 33 or R68 bus to Strawberry Vale. The house has a car park with limited spaces, free all day for house visitors and for two hours for café-only visitors; register your vehicle on the parking tablet. The car park is closed to everyone except Blue Badge holders during the Flower Festival.

How long to allow: The house says the average house visit takes 1 to 2 hours, plus time for the garden and café.

Accessibility: The garden and café are reached by a smooth, step-free path, though the lawn can be uneven. The ground floor of the house is fully accessible and a lift serves the first floor, where most rooms are. The lift does not reach the second floor, so three rooms are inaccessible by wheelchair: the Library, Horace Walpole’s Bedchamber and the Plaid Bedchamber. A wheelchair is available at the entrance, and there are three Blue Badge parking spaces. Assistance dogs are welcome in the house; other dogs are allowed in the café but not in the wider garden.

House rules: Large bags are not allowed in the house and can be stored behind the shop counter. Buggies are not permitted in the house but can be left at the front.

Photography: Photography is permitted inside the house and garden, but flash, filming, tripods and large cameras are not allowed unless you book a private visit.

Café and shop: The Garden Café occupies the Great Cloister of the house and looks over Walpole’s naturalistic garden. The gift shop is open during general opening hours.

Guided tours: Private guided tours are available for groups of 15 or more; public tours are listed on the booking site.

Managing body: The house is run by the Strawberry Hill Trust, a registered charity, which leases it from St Mary’s University. It is an independent museum and not a National Trust property. Some older listings mention half-price entry for National Trust members, but the National Trust is not among the discounts on the current booking page.

Best time to visit: The house’s own advice is to book online for the best price and guaranteed entry. Special events such as the Flower Festival limit numbers to protect the building, so book well ahead for those.

Nearby: Hampton Court Palace is about two hours away on foot along the Thames Path, and Richmond Park is also within reach; Richmond is where the District line and the 33 and R68 buses connect to the house.

Prices last checked: September 2026. Opening hours last checked: September 2026. Prices, hours and access notes checked against strawberryhillhouse.org.uk.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Strawberry Hill House National Trust?

No. Strawberry Hill House is run by the Strawberry Hill Trust, an independent registered charity, which leases the house from St Mary’s University. It is not a National Trust property, and the National Trust is not among the discounts on the house’s current booking page.

What are the opening times of Strawberry Hill House?

The house and shop are open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm, with last entry at 4pm. The garden and Garden Café open at 9.30am on Wednesday to Friday and 9am at weekends, closing at 5pm, and the house opens seven days a week during school holidays.

Is there a café at Strawberry Hill House?

Yes. The Garden Café sits in the Great Cloister of the house and overlooks the garden. It is open 9.30am to 5pm Wednesday to Friday and 9am to 5pm at weekends and holidays, and you can visit it without a house ticket.

When is the Strawberry Hill House Flower Festival?

It is a four-day festival held in September. The 2026 festival ran from 10 to 13 September with adult tickets at £30, so check the house’s website for the next dates. The car park is closed to everyone except Blue Badge holders during the festival.

Can you take photos inside Strawberry Hill House?

Yes, photography is permitted inside the house and garden, but flash photography, filming, tripods and large cameras are not allowed unless you book a private visit.

Is Strawberry Hill House worth visiting?

Yes, if you like Gothic architecture, literary history or unusual interiors: it is the prototype of the Strawberry Hill Gothic style and has more than 500 traveller reviews on Tripadvisor. Allow 1 to 2 hours for the house, and note that the lift does not reach three second-floor rooms.

How much are tickets for Strawberry Hill House?

Standard adult tickets are £16.50 when booked online, with £14.50 for over-65s, English Heritage members and Richmond Card holders, £10 for students and £8.25 for ages 6 to 16. Children aged 5 and under and National Art Pass holders enter free, and the garden is free to visit.

Nearby Chronicle Trails Guides

Strawberry Hill House sits on the same stretch of the Thames as Hampton Court Palace and close to Richmond Park. For more Castles & Historic Attractions, visit the England hub. We chronicle the history, then we walk you through it: here, that means a novelist’s nightmare made of plaster, gilding and looking glass.