Stepping into Spring and Reaching Target

"All this fine weather, with the finest blow of
snowdrops, hepaticas and crocuses."
Rev William Cole to Horace Walpole, April 1780

Strawberry Hill House & Garden continues to bloom as we step into Spring. Our Snowdrops and Crocuses are gone, but our Hepatica and Narcissi are still on show for visitors to enjoy in the grounds, read more about the Garden in our latest blog post. Over the Easter break the House & Garden remain open:

House & Shop: Sunday – Wednesday, 11 – 4.
Garden & Garden Café: Sunday – Thursday, 10 – 4.

As part of our new Grand Tour display, included in general admission, don't miss our series of online and in-person Grand Tour talks. The first talk explores Thomas Patch, artist, publisher, art dealer, and friend of both Horace Mann and Horace Walpole presented by Hugh Belsey, Freelance Art Historian, next Thursday 21 April. Booking details below.

We have now raised over 100% of our funding target for 'Horace and Hogarth Reunited' Art Happens appeal. On behalf of us all at Strawberry Hill House, thank you to everyone who has helped us meet our target. We've been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and support we have received. Acquiring this remarkable painting is a rare opportunity and we look forward to this portrait joining other works in our collection in early Summer. Donations remain open until midnight, additional funds will go towards the display and interpretation of the portrait.

Thank you for your support,
Strawberry Hill House & Garden

Visit the House

Grand Tour Talk: Thomas Patch (1725-82): an English Artist in Florence
By Hugh Belsey, Freelance Art Historian
Thursday 21 April at 7.30pm

Thomas Patch was an artist, publisher, art dealer, and friend of both Horace Mann and Horace Walpole. He became a close friend of Sir Horace Mann, the British Envoy, and became a valued member of the Anglo-Florentine community, painting caricatures of Grand tourists as they passed through the city. This talk demonstrates that although his work is little known today, Patch provides a valuable insight into the life of eighteenth-century Florence.

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Grand Tour Talk: "A perfect character for the stage". Sir Horace Mann, British Envoy and Cavaliere in Florence
By Dr Giulia Coco, Art historian and curator at the Italian Ministry of Culture
Thursday 12 May at 7.30pm

Horace Mann arrived in Florence as British Envoy in 1737 thanks to Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister and father of Horace Walpole. He never left the city, dying in 1786. Mann lived in Palazzo Manetti, in the heart of Florence, where he created a very lively Anglo-Saxon Colony. This talk follows Mann as he became a reference point for all foreigners, especially the British in Florence, so creating a strong affinity between Tuscany and England.

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Grand Tour Talk: Cultural diplomacy in the Grand Tour between Rome, Florence and London: the role of Cardinal Alessandro Albani
By Clare Hornsby PhD, FSA, Research Fellow in Art History
Thursday 26 May at 7.30pm

Cardinal Alessandro Albani (1692-1779), nephew of Pope Clement XI, had a vast Europe-wide correspondence that functioned as the backbone of his role as Cardinal protector of various states, including the Empire. This talk will sketch out the background of Albani’s connection with Horace Mann and will focus on a series of letters between Albani and George “Bubb” Dodington, a wealthy British politician originally introduced to the cardinal by Mann, whose acquisitions of valuable antique marble statues from Rome and other art works were commented upon by Walpole.

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