Strawberry Hill - A Summer of Fun is Arriving at 🍓 Hill

Festival of Fun, Fairytales & Fables 5 June, 11am-4.30pm   Inspired by a host of well-loved children’s stories, families are invited to re-don their ‘World Book Day’ costumes and visit this free fun day dressed as their favourite storybook character. An array of activities can be enjoyed; join a band of pirates for a treasure hunt; become a knight and joust against an evil foe; ride the shyest of mythical beasts or meet a majestic bird of prey. Children will have the opportunity to get crafty and explore their imagination and also listen to magical stories in Horace’s mystical woodland. The Festival of Fun is supported by a variety of local organisations who will also be joining the lively event. The popular London Scottish rugby cage makes a welcome return and young rugby enthusiasts can become sports stars for the day. A selection of stallholders will be selling their wares and Strawberry Hill’s own Cloister Coffee House can provide attendees with a scrumptious lunch. Entry to the Festival of Fun is free but some activities will be charged and if you've had a great time there will be opportunity to donate at the end of the day!

Stallholders Do you retail products for children? If so there may be opportunity to run a stall at the Festival of Fun. For further information e-mail laura.teale@strawberryhillhouse.org.uk A Collector's Collection: Lecture by Dr Shirley Sherwood Wednesday 4 May at 7pm In the stunning ambience of Walpole's State Apartment, Dr Sherwood will discuss the process of selecting pieces for her exhibition at Strawberry Hill, her love for the artistic recording of plants and flowers and her experience of collecting in this genre. Tickets £12 bookable here Spring Bank Holiday Why not visit us over the spring bank holiday and enjoy the Cloister House's new afternoon teas served from 3 until 5.30pm during house opening hours. View their scrumptious menu here! Public Lecture Series: Writing Britain's Ruins, 1700 - 1850 Delivered by a cast of internationally renowned scholars of 18th Century British history, architecture, literature and antiquarianism, this six-week lecture series offers a lively and enjoyable point of entry to a number of historical issues - heritage; conservation, landscape - that are still of great cultural relevance today. The lectures are free but require advance booking. There is a suggested donation of £5 to attend, this goes towards the continued restoration, maintenance and programming of the house.    5 May, 7.30pm - Dale Townshend, Peter Lindfield: Introduction to ‘Writing Britain’s Ruins’ in the 18th century 12 May, 7.30pm - Christopher Woodward, ‘”Time’s Shipwreck”: Ruins and Rescue in the 18th-century Imagination' 19 May, 7.30pm - Dale Townshend, Jim Watt and Nicola Watson, ‘Poetic fragments: Writing the Abbeys' 26 May, 7.30pm - Marion Harney: 'Place-making for the Imagination: Horace Walpole and Strawberry Hill' 2 June, 7.30pm - Oliver Cox: 'Forgetting Horace Walpole' 9 June, 7.30pm - John Goodall: 'The Time-Wracked Castle'