Strawberry Hill House

Horace Walpole rebuilt the existing house in stages from 1749, with further phases in 1760, 1772 and 1776, and the result is the prototypical example of Strawberry Hill Gothic, prefiguring the nineteenth-century Gothic Revival. Walpole sought "gloomth" inside to suit his collection of antiquarian objects, against a deliberately cheerful garden; the interior includes gilded ceilings and a fireplace by Robert Adam, and James Essex designed parts of the exterior. The garden's Rococo shell-shaped seat was recreated in the 2012 restoration. The Chapel in the Wood in the grounds is separately Grade I listed, NHLE 1253028. The house states that it "has been open to visitors for over 250 years" and directs visitors to take "Bus 33 or R68 from Richmond station", alighting at Strawberry Vale from the 33 and at Popes Grotto from the R68.