Strawberry Hill House & Garden - Autumn Events

Following a busy month celebrating Horace Walpole's 300th Birthday, Strawberry Hill House & Garden has now settled into Autumn. As we watch the leaves change colour there are a number of events coming up this season, that you can enjoy at our 'little gothic castle'.

Study Day: Portraits, Authenticity and Copies in the 17th & 18th centuries 2 November, 9.30am   Strawberry Hill was famously full of portraits, many of them collected as part of the broader antiquarian effort to form a narrative of British and European history. In this, as in other fields of painting, there was much less emphasis on the ‘original‘ than there is today. This study day will focus on issues and practices around meaning and authenticity in portraits in the 17th and 18th centuries. It is linked to the recent installation in the Holbein Chamber of digital facsimiles, made by Factum Arte, of George Vertue’s accurate copies, made in 1743, of 33 of Holbein’s famous drawings of the court of Henry VIII. As a historian, Horace Walpole was greatly interested in questions of authenticity. His own collection of portraits included many later copies, both specially commissioned and unrecognised, as well as misdescriptions and deliberate fakes. Book Now Twilight Tour of Strawberry Hill 8 November, 6.30pm Enjoy an atmospheric out of hours tour of Strawberry Hill at a magical time of day. Kicked off with a glass of fizz, you will be guided through Horace’s gothic creation, exploring its beautiful interiors as the theatrical features of Walpole's eccentric villa as twilight sets in.   Book Now Christmas Fair 26 November, 10am until 4pm   This year our Christmas Fair in partnership with the Decor Cafe hosts a range of exhibitors, with a wonderful collection of home & personal accessories, pet products, Christmas cards, decorations, flowers and delicious food & drink gifts created by local producers. Entry is just £4 per person on the door. You'll be certain to find gift ideas, Christmas inspirations and a present or two for yourself! More Details