Welcome to Strawberry Hill

Welcome to one of England's most elegant and eccentric Gothic houses. Strawberry Hill; Walpole's Gothic Castle

“It is a plaything-house... and it is the prettiest bauble you ever saw.”Horace Walpole, June 1747

History

Created by Horace Walpole in the 18th century, Strawberry Hill is internationally famous as Britain’s finest example of Georgian Gothic revival architecture. It also inspired the first gothic novel The Castle of Otranto.

The rooms

Location
Although in Horace Walpole’s time Strawberry Hill was several hours journey from the centre of London by coach and horses, by 1873 Strawberry Hill railway station whisked Lady Waldegrave’s guests from Westminster to her political salons.

Today the house is even better connected, with bus, cycle, and walking routes for visitors direct to the front door.

Travel information:

By Train to Strawberry Hill station
 

Four trains per hour (two trains per hour on Sundays) run in both directions on a circular route from London Waterloo.

The house is a five to ten minute walk from Strawberry Hill station, follow the sign at the end of each platform.

By Underground

Take the District Line to Richmond and catch an R68 bus towards Hampton Court. Alight at Michelham Gardens (see detailed directions by bus below).

By Bus

The 33 bus runs between Hammersmith and Fulwell via Twickenham and Richmond, at 6-10 minutes intervals during the day. It stops at the Strawberry Vale Stop on Waldegrave Road, directly opposite the house.

Route R68 runs between Kew Retail Park and Hampton Court Station, calling at Michelham Gardens every 15 minutes in each direction. From the bus stop, Strawberry Hill is under five minutes away by foot, along Waldegrave Road from the miniroundabout outside Radnor Gardens. This route calls at Richmond Station and is useful for visitors travelling via the District Line from central London.

By Bike
 

The area is well provided with on and off road cycle routes of the London Cycle Network. One route runs along Strawberry Vale and Cross Deep, linking to Kingston and Hampton court in one direction and Twickenham/Richmond in the other.

By Car

If you do need to travel by car, the postcode TW1 4ST will take any satellite navigation system to the house. The car park closes at 6.30pm every day. We have two dedicated spaces for blue badge holders.

Walking

With the Thames Path only three minutes away from the house, a pleasant riverside walk can be combined with an afternoon visit to Walpole’s villa. It is the ideal way to understand the compelling 18th century views from the house, now obscured by modern development.