Strawberry Hill, London
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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.
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[edit] Walpole's villa
The nineteenth-century development is named for "Strawberry Hill", the eighteenth century fancifully "Gothick" villa of Horace Walpole, a folly which he had built in stages to his own specifications.
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 the chapel at Westminister abbey built by Henry VII for inspiration for the fan vaulting of the gallery, while the bays, recesses, and mirrors refer to Robert Adam’s interiors.
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, 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.
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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
[edit] Other attractions
Other local attractions include:
- The Twickenham Museum
- Saint Mary's College, University of Surrey
- 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.
[edit] Reference
Jones, E. and Woodward, C. 1983, A Guide to the Architecture of London. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London
[edit] External links
