Horace Walpole and Strawberry Hill

Victoria and Albert is hosting the first major exhibition on Horace Walpole, son of Englands first prime minister and one of the most important collectors of the eighteenth century. In 1749 Walpole bought an estate in Twickenham called Strawberry Hill, which he would remodel and rebuild into his "Gothic Castle". Gregorian Gothic architectural details were added to the exterior and inside the rooms were filled with his vast collections of anitiquities, art and historical prints. Over a thirty-year period, Walpole added new features to Strawberry Hill as he saw fit and the building is now known as one of the most influential examples of Rococo Gothic, or Georgian Gothic, style. Inspried by Strawberry Hill and a nightmare, Walpole wrote The Castle of Ortranto, considered the first gothic novel.

Horace Walpole and Strawberry Hill at V&A, 6 March - 4 July