Travel Tip: Art and Archaeology in England
Horace Walpole and Strawberry Hill

An influential historian, collector, social commentator and man of letters, Horace Walpole (1717–97) was the youngest son of Sir Robert Walpole, Britain's first Prime Minister.His fascination with history and art led him to build a collection encompassing Renaissance maiolica, Holbein drawings, arms and armour, and works by contemporary 18th-century artists such as Sir Joshua Reynolds and Anne Seymour Damer.

Over a period of some 40 years (1747–90) Walpole turned the 17th-century house at Strawberry Hill in Twickenham, Surrey, into what he called 'a little Gothic Castle'. The exhibition is in 10 sections and brings together more than 250 works owned by Walpole, not seen together since his collection was auctioned by his heir in 1842.