Monday 30 April 2018

Strawberry Hill House & Garden - Book your tickets for the must-see exhibition Lost Treasures of Strawberry Hill


Tickets are now on sale for the
'Exhibition of the Decade'!

 
We are excited to share with you details of our major forthcoming exhibition. This exhibition brings back to Strawberry Hill some of the most important masterpieces in Horace Walpole’s famous and unique collection - one of the greatest in the 18th century. Dispersed in 1842 and scattered to the winds, over the past 3 years Strawberry Hill's Curators have been hunting down works using Walpole's detailed descriptions and the sales catalogue of 1842. For the first time in over 170 years, Strawberry Hill can be seen as Walpole conceived it, with the original collection in the interiors he designed for it. A staggering 50 lenders will loan works to the show, including 15 country houses, with many of these objects being shown for the first time to the public.

The collection included paintings, fine furniture, sculpture and curiosities: great portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds, Sir Peter Lely, Van Dyck, and Clouet; miniature portraits by Isaac and Peter Oliver, Hilliard and Zincke, a monumental ancient Roman Eagle, fabulous Sèvres pieces as well as some oddities such as a limewood cravat, carved by Grinling Gibbons, and the ‘magic mirror’ which Dr Dee, Queen Elizabeth I’s necromancer, had used for conjuring up spirits. Most of the works will be lent from both public and private collections. Walpole left detailed descriptions of his displays, which enables us to show the collection as it was seen in the 18th century in its original atmospheric setting at Strawberry Hill.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the enchanting Strawberry Hill as it was during the time of Horace Walpole.

Tickets are now available for the exhibition which runs from 20 October 2018 - 24 February 2019. Don't miss out on our Early Bird ticket offer which are now available for a limited period.
BOOK NOW
We are in the FT today!

Strawberry hunt: London villa reunites original collection 

"The original art collection from Strawberry Hill House... is to return to its walls for first time." Financial Times, Monday 30 April 2018 
Private Hire
Within our beautiful multi-purpose pavilion adjacent to the house, a variety of options are available for private hire throughout the exhibition. Whatever your requirements and numbers, we can offer champagne receptions, private dining on an informal and formal basis, light lunches and much more. Contact our team for more details:
exhibitionhire@strawberryhillhouse.org.uk
Guided Tours
Private guided tours available 10am-11am and 6pm Monday to Friday and 10am on Saturdays & Sundays. The price for the 90-minute tour is £15 per person. Tours can be arranged for groups of 15 up to 50, and we supply one guide per 18-20 people. Please contact the team for more details on: 
tours@strawberryhillhouse.org.uk
Strawberry Hill Treasure Hunt Blog
In partnership with Boodle Hatfield, solicitors.
Ever wondered what it takes to unearth long lost artworks? What kind of detective work is required to retrace treasured antiques and objets d’art scattered two hundred years ago?
We invite you to sleuth for Walpole’s missing treasures  READ MORE.
Please do visit our website for our latest news and updates on the exhibition, and to learn about other events and activities at Strawberry Hill House & Garden www.strawberryhillhouse.org.uk 

The Team at Strawberry Hill House & Garden

Image credits
Portrait of a young man as a shepherd (portrait of Abraham Cowley) Peter Lely (1618-1680), oil on canvas, 91.4 x 75.6 cm, The Dulwich Picture Gallery, London (DPG563/1911) © By Permission of Dulwich Picture Gallery, London.

Portrait of the Ladies Waldegrave, Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), 1780-81, oil on canvas, 143 x 16 8.3 cm © The Ladies Waldegrave, Sir Joshua Reynolds, National Galleries of Scotland. Edinburgh. Purchased with the aid of The Cowan Smith Bequest and the Art Fund 1952.
Hunting Horn, Léonard Limousin (c.1505-c.1575/7), 1538, copper, painted enamel and cow’s horn, 30.5 cm length, Private Collection © Private Collection UK

Sarcophagus, marble, Middle Roman, date 100-125 © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge