What is Strawberry Hill, London?

Strawberry Hill
Strawberry Hill, London (Greater London)
OS grid reference	_region:GB_scale:25000 TQ155725
London borough	Richmond
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	London
Postcode district	TW1, TW2
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Twickenham
London Assembly	South West
European Parliament	London
List of places: UK • England UK • London

Coordinates: Strawberry Hill is an affluent area of 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 consists of a number of residential roads centered around a small development of shops and services by Strawberry Hill railway station. The area's ACORN demographic type is characterized as well-off professionals, larger houses, and converted flats.

Walpole's villa

The nineteenth-century development is named for "Strawberry Hill", the fancifully "Gothick" villa of Horace Walpole, a folly which he purchased in 1748 and rebuilt in stages to his own specifications, expanding the little property from five acres to forty-six over the years.

Walpole and two friends, including the connoisseur and amateur architect, John Chute (1701-1776), and draftsman, Richard Bentley (1708-1782), called themselves a “Committee of Taste” which would modify the architecture of the building. Bentley left the group abruptly after an argument in 1761. William Robinson of the Royal Office of Works contributed professional experience in overseeing construction. They looked at many examples of architecture in England and in other countries, adapting such works as the chapel at Westminster Abbey built by Henry VII for inspiration for the fan vaulting of the gallery, without any pretense at scholarship. Chimneypieces were improvised from engravings of tombs at Westminster and Canterbury and gothic stone fretwork blind details were reproduced by painted wallpapers, while in the Round Tower added in 1771, the chimneypiece was based on the tomb of Edward the Confessor "improved by Mr. Adam".

He incorporated many of the exterior details of cathedrals 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 similarly 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 and was complete by 1753, a second stage began in 1760, and there were other modifications such as work on the great north bedchamber in 1772, and the "BeauclerK Tower" of the third phase of alterations, completed to designs of a professional architect, James Essex, 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, Georgian Rococo, or Gothick

In 2004, Strawberry Hill featured in the BBC/Endemol TV series Restoration (presented by Griff Rhys Jones, Ptolemy Dean and Marianne Suhr, produced and directed by Paul Coueslant).

Other attractions

Other local attractions include:

• The Twickenham Museum
• St Mary's University College, Twickenham
• Radnor Gardens
• Radnor House

The local Strawberry Hill railway station was built in 1873 and is an excellent example of the Victorian era railway building boom.

Education

Main article: List of schools in Richmond upon Thames

References

• Jones, E. and Woodward, C. 1983, A Guide to the Architecture of London. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London

External links

• Friends of Strawberry Hill
• The Strawberry Hill Residents' Association
• Strawberry Hill Online
• The Twickenham Museum
• The Twickenham Society
• Strawberry Hill Golf Club
• (London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames) "Horace Walpole and Strawberry Hill"

•  • [ e] London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
Districts: Barnes • East Sheen • Ham • Hampton • Kew • Mortlake • North Sheen  Richmond • St. Margarets • Teddington • Twickenham • Whitton Attractions: Bushy Park • Hampton Court Palace • London Wetlands Centre • Kew Gardens • Richmond Park • Twickenham Stadium Parks and open spaces in Richmond upon Thames Constituencies: Richmond Park • Twickenham