Gothic, Strawberry Hill House, Twickenham
I fell asleep in a patch of straw,
woke in a strawberry bed,
in a place of imagination
and improbability, a place
of nightmare. There were towers
with crenellations, there were secret passages
and moving portraits…
So I fled
to the black river bank,
saw the fleet of ghostly boats
come sailing in – there was Frankenstein,
a gaggle of vampires and Dracula,
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde,
a Mummy unwinding bandages,
hollow-eyed Edward Cullen and Bella Swan,
and Harry Potter on his way
to Hogwarts, phoenix feather wand
in his small white hand.
TWICKENHAM
Strawberry Hill
One of the most extraordinary buildings along the Thames is Strawberry Hill House, created by writer Horace Walpole as a miniature gothic castle. One June evening in 1764, Walpole had a nightmare there that led him to write the first ever gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto, inspiring a whole literary tradition.
Twickenham is known for its Rugby Stadium which offers tours, but the area is also great for shopping, especially Church Street which has independent boutiques, cafés and restaurants and has markets and seasonal events.
Historic Houses of Twickenham
There is plenty of history around Twickenham with four interesting houses to visit.
- Located on the Thames opposite Eel Island, is Orleans House Gallery with its amazing Octagon room.
- Strawberry Hill House, Britain's finest example of Georgian Gothic Revival architecture
- Marble Hill House borders the Thames between Richmond and Hampton Court. It was begun in 1724 for the remarkable Henrietta Howard, mistress of King George II.
- JMW Turner, one of England’s greatest painters, built Sandycombe Lodge near once-rural Twickenham, to his own designs, c. 1813.
