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What is the significance of Strawberry Hill?
In order to truly understand the significance of Strawberry Hill, it is important to consider not only the short-term implications of the build but also the long-term significance in the fact that it has survived. A range of factors must be contemplated, such as the vogue of the time as well as social normalities previous to Walpole’s work and those which followed. Other factors of significance to be considered are that of his literary efforts, architectural, decorative and significance in its’ publicity. Furthermore, in this essay it is necessary to deliberate if Walpole’s creation was foremost a base from which architectural styles developed into, or whether it was reflective of the fashions which he adopted and as well as their successes.
Up until Walpole began building his ‘little plaything house’, the style most prominent in 18th century England was the classical. The new style was introduced at the beginning of the 1700’s through the formation of a government of Whigs, whom gained power on the accession of George I in 1714. The classical style reached a national consensus as the most appropriate style in which to build. However, by the end of the century, this new consensus reached an end, and with it marked the end of a single national style in England. Explanations for this have been studied by various architectural historians and writers, and many if not most consider the Gothic revival as a key element of this. So where
The Essay on Auditory Learning Style
Individual differences establish the well-acknowledged concept of the variety of learning styles exhibited by learners. This means that learners are likely to learn differently according to their fortes and preferences. The ability to learn by using one’s auditory capabilities is one learning styles. Students who are more likely to learn through auditory learning styles focus on the things that ...
aristocrats pioneered the classical, it is evident not all aristocrats conformed. In this essay the focus must be upon Horace Walpole who designed and built with his ‘Committee of Taste’, Strawberry Hill in 1749. The historic home is debated upon by architects and commentators widely for matters relating to its historical accuracy and controversy of style. When addressing the time period, S-Hill’s style was in stark contrast to the works of other famous Georgian buildings, such as Mereworth Castle in Kent or his father’s Houghton Hall, Norfolk. Although Walpole was not alone, a fashion which had erupted in eighteenth century England was the Sham Castle; this was not necessarily exclusive to the Gothic style of build but is what probably encouraged the trend – England was already full of Norman castles and these were more authentic and much cheaper to restore than to erect a new build. Furthermore, S-Hill, was not only different from the classical style with concern to its asymmetrical shape but neither authentic in terms of it being built from an existing medieval fabric, and it was the first of this kind. S-Hill was in effect significant because it was the first home to have rejected the use of historical authenticity. The décor was designed from tracings of tombs and other historical examples such as the fan vaulting in the gallery which was derived from the chapel at Westminster Abbey, rather than an extrapolation of the Gothic style developed by such architects as William Kent before him. Thus my first point of significance is that at the time, the Walpole’s creation was neither historically authentic nor was it similar to the work of the time (i.e. Kent) but it made exact copies from high profile Gothic monuments.
Furthermore, Strawberry Hill was also the first of its’ kind to invite members of the public to view the house and admire its architecture, grounds and cultivated collection of antiquity. It was the marvel of Twickenham, soon the topic of conversation around London and after a while the theme of conversation in England. Its visitors drew from the Royal family and the society’s elite to the everyday sightseer by small price of admission. Ironically, Walpole is said to have found nuisance in this: in a letter to Horace Mann, 1763 he says, ‘take my advice, never build a charming house for yourself between London and Hampton-court: everybody will live in it but you.’ Additionally, Walpole wrote a guide book for the tour of the house which suggests that viewing of the house was in high demand. Arguably, the impact of the society in which Walpole lived in and the fact it drew public attention because of its’ architectural oddities is one point of significance, but perhaps what is one of the most significant issues here is the fact that it was the first home to be opened up for viewing by the public.
The Essay on Gothic literature
In response to the question “is gothic literature purely escapist? ” considering Austen’s Northanger Abbey and Walpole’s novel The Castle of Ontranto, which is recognized as pretty much establishing the genre, the answer is yes. Castle of Ontranto Brief Plot summary The plot of Castle begins full tilt as Conrad, son of Manfred of house Otranto, is crushed by a giant helmet on his wedding day, also ...
Moreover, another indication of the building’s significance may well be seen by the fact that Walpole owned one of the first private printing press’ in England. The eighteenth century coincides with the Age of Enlightenment, where, through the development of the printing presses, news and thus newspapers and magazines (793)
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were accessible for all and with it the accessibility of literature which allowed for S-Hill’s elevated popularity. This popularity is most likely owed to the ideas which the gothic literature of the time provoked for its’ readers about heroes from early English history. Moreover, Strawberry Hill’s printing press was frequently attributed in such newspapers as the British Evening Post and the Morning Chronicle. In some cases S-Hill itself featured for topics such as the elite paying a visit or even in a print as a recommended spot when touring Twickenham. The passage from 1779 describes ‘a beautiful Gothic seat called Strawberry Hill, belonging to the honourable Mr Walpole.’ This source proves to be useful and impractical for the historian; in one case it gives evidence that S-Hill was a house of cultivating interest. On the other hand, newspaper entries do not provide an insight to the taste of the society at large. But the evidence does give a suggestion of how S-Hill’s reputation was propagated through the media thus bolstering the argument that S-Hill is a significant 18th century building.
Evidently, Walpole’s use of the printing press was significant to Strawberry Hill; the press printed many documents including his personal ‘Description of the villa of Mr Horace Walpole at Strawberry Hill,’ (1784) of which was the first illustrated house guide, Bentley’s original drawings of the early rooms which include hand drawn notes from Bentley himself and Walpole, Chute’s original drawings of elevations and Gothic details and Walpole’s Strawberry Hill Accounts (1745 – 1795).
The Essay on Gothic Twelfth Century
Gothic For nearly four hundred years Gothic style dominated the architecture of Western Europe. It originated in northern France in the twelfth century, and spread rapidly across England and the Continent, invading the old Viking empire of Scandinavia. It confronted the Byzantine provinces of Central Europe and even made appearances in the near East and the Americas. Gothic architects designed ...
Not to mention, Walpole supposedly wrote thousands of letters, poems and what some historians consider to be the first Gothic literary novel, ‘the Castle of Otranto’. Other significant builds didn’t have such extensive literature supporting them thus bolstering the argument that S-Hill is significant for its’ place (1,141)
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in both literary and architectural history.
Following Walpole’s death the house was passed to his cousin Anne Seymour Damer therefore Strawberry Hill was no longer inhabited by the ‘Man Of Letters.’ However, his eccentric style remained significant, exemplified by other amateur architects following his fashion, namely Walpole’s contemporary, aristocrats Viscount Bangor and Lady Anne Bligh. What sparks interest about this house is the conflicting styles, ‘the viscount was a classicist,’ whereas his wife ‘had heard about the ceilings at Strawberry Hill and longed to have a few of her own,’ the consequence of this was a clash of styles and the symmetric versus asymmetric. The home was subsequently built in the classical style in front and its’ rear in Gothic. Additionally, another home of North London named the ‘Hunters Lodge’ built circa 1800 is very much reminiscent of S-Hill. Such examples of these give evidence of admiration for S-Hill and its’ style, it certainly provides evidence that Walpole’s style impacted others’ style of build. However this statement is quite limiting as it appears the style only ever inspired amateur architects. To this end, the evidence I have supplied clearly suggests that S-Hill was significant to the development of 18th Century architecture because of its’ obvious effect upon the styling of persons’ homes.
The real Gothic revival is considered to belong to the nineteenth century pioneered by the particularly influential Augustus Pugin, who took a more ecclesiastical and archaeological approach to the revival. Famously, Pugin is said to have visited Strawberry Hill during the sale of its contents and notes one word in his diary, “disgusted.” Pugin appears to be a main challenger of Walpole’s ‘gothick,’ in which he suggests it was an architectural sham: “Strawberry Hill was incredibly admired for several years; though, in point of Architecture, it is a heap of inconsistencies, and altogether a mere toy.” Pugin’s approach to S-Hill is strong and may have affected the views of others in concern to Walpole’s creation, owing to his influence in the nineteenth century revival. This leads to a particular point of significance; Strawberry Hill was more prominent in the eighteenth century Gothic revival as opposed to that of the nineteenth but also considerably more influential in part as a design and arts movement rather than an architectural movement in terms of its’ structure and architectural advances.
The Essay on Augustan To Gothic Period (18th Century Literature)
Introduction The 18th century in English literature can be divided into two periods: THE AUGUSTAN AGE (The Age of Pope) – 1700-1745 and THE AGE OF SENSIBILITY (The Age of Johnson) – 1745-1785. This was the period of heavy colonizations of the new world and the time when cities rise. Various inventions, as well as the Industrial and Agricultural Revolution, influenced manufacturing and ...
Literature on the history of English Architecture often gives some form of note to Horace Walpole and S-Hill, however their opinions on him differ. The most basic (1,509)
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comments, such as Adrian Tinniswood’s for the BBC simply note that S.Hill is ‘one of the landmarks of the Gothic Revival in Britain,’ and Marco Bussagli’s suggestion that it ‘launched a Gothic Revival fashion that was to last throughout the nineteenth century,’ which limits debate. These descriptions were written in the 21st century and give more reference to S-Hill as having huge significance in starting the Gothic revival, whereas the 20th c (1,898)
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studies of this subject are more technical and provide more precise understandings of S-Hill’s place in the revival. For instance, Hugh Braun’s study reflects on S-Hill as being the leader of a fashion for ‘plaster Gothic,’ referencing the lack of architectural advances within Strawberry Hill and its imitation of medieval architecture. Indeed, Braun cites William Morris as being the main pioneer of the Gothic architecture revival. Comparatively, Bruce Allsopp and Ursula Clark call Walpole’s Gothic ‘rather clumsy’ but denote it as ‘one of the most important patrons of the revival, which refined Gothic into a charming and elegant form of decoration, imitating the appearance of the most delicate medieval design but not its structural methods. Indeed much of what came to be called ‘Gothick’ is made of wood and plaster.’ These studies suggest that Strawberry Hill was significant to 20th century architectural historians however not for its structural architecture but more as a form of inspiring decoration.
The Term Paper on Difference in Gothic and Romanesque architecture
Different Architecture of Romanesque and Gothic Inspired Buildings There have been numerous pilgrimages made across France and Spain, each one just as unique as the one before it. Along these routes there are an immeasurable number of magnificent churches and temples each with their own history, architecture and art work, making them very distinctive. Time and place are important influences of the ...
Furthermore, other studies of the Gothic revival of the nineteenth century are incongruous to the revival of the eighteenth century. Peter Murray in the ‘Authoritative Guide to English Architecture’ considers that whilst Strawberry Hill and William Beckford’s Fonthill Abbey ‘were the two great monuments of style’ they have ‘nothing in common with the passionate revivalism and the religious enthusiasm of the nineteenth century Gothic Revival, which would have seemed ridiculous and ill-bred to the eighteenth.’ Murray’s term ‘passionate revivalism’ in context of the nineteenth century as opposed to that of the eighteenth is contradicted by Lang who suggests Walpole and the Committee of Taste which consisted of Bentley, Chute and himself ‘attacked their task in the proper spirit of archaeology’ … ‘their Gothic was to be real Gothic.’ Lang also cites that Walpole was the last Gothic revivalist who deliberately chose Gothic after considering other styles, implying Walpole was in fact more educated and worthy of his ties to the Gothic revival. Hence, these studies provide suggestion that Strawberry Hill was considered significant by 20th century architectural historians but for alternating reasons where some may consider it within its’ own period of the Gothic revival and others a strong contender for pioneering the movement as a whole.
Since homosexuality has become more socially acceptable, it has laid the foundations for more intellectual debate into the suggestion that Walpole’s sexuality had an influence on the style of his build. McNeal cites: “They created a novel and innovative queer space for the projection of fluid male identities and fantasies employing intimate private spaces”, which implies that Walpole’s architectural style was manipulated to suit his sexuality. McNeal notes Timothy Mowl’s interpretation of Walpole’s choice of Gothic and it’s decoration as a ‘war of style, in which the homo-sexual outsider Walpole attacked the values of norms of his father’s generation.’ Journalists in covering the recent events of S-Hill, such as its restoration and a recent V&A exhibition, have discussed the famous Georgian House’s creator. Amanada Vickery questions whether ‘Strawberry Hill [is] the manifestation of a gay aesthetic?’. Moreover Haggerty, in a collection of essays to accompany the exhibition, is (2,271)
The Research paper on Architectural Significance to Ornamental Choice
This research paper is based on a combination of architecture and sculpture, precisely the gargoyle. The inspiration for topic was grasped from a past production paper question which requested that one create a gargoyle spout inspired by a Caribbean cultural aspect. This question deeply intrigued me, providing themes for both a sculpture piece and my research paper. This paper is seeks to present ...
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suggests there is a “camp sensibility” at work. Thus, the new access architectural historians have with the study of S-Hill as an embodiment of ‘gay aesthetics’ introduces a modern and topical study into the significance of the build.
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The contents of S-Hill are of particular importance to its significance. Under the ownership of the 7th Earl Waldgrave, Walpole’s collection of artefacts and collectables were sold in what is reflected on as being one of the most significant sales of art in history. The curator of the recent V&A exhibition of 2010, Michael Snodin, considers Walpole “the most important collector of his time, he created a form of thematised historical display which prefigured modern museums. And Strawberry Hill was the most influential building of the early Gothic revival.” Moreover, Michael Snodin’s opinion carries weight; he has produced much literature on the matter including a collective document about S-Hill published within a volume of Architectural History. Additionally, the exhibition was covered by the Guardian and The Times, which are both widely read and influential newspapers. Much like the printing press spread the significance of Strawberry Hill at the time of its conception; these papers propagated the significance of its contents, which in turn, raised awareness for the build as well. It is considered that Strawberry Hill’s significance in the past has influenced the present: the significance is measured by the success of the V&A exhibition as well as the revived recognition of S-Hill in the press.
S-Hill is considered architecturally significant for its ties to the early Gothic Revival of which S-Hill is considered by most modern day architectural historians to be the most influential. Decor is consistent of Horace Walpole’s collectables and the fact that otherwise architectural historians may also prescribe S-Hill to be influential for Gothic decor rather than architecturally because it lacked any serious Gothic architectural structure. The literary significance is suggested initially for the fact it was so well publicised by media via Walpole’s own writings and publications of a tour guide for the house, it’s frequent mentions in popular contemporary newspapers and for Walpole’s own literary success, ‘The Castle of Otranto.’ His novel is considered today as one of the first Gothic novels which drew people favourably to Gothic homes like Walpole’s because of its reminiscence of the old style. As a measure of the success for each categories, evidence suggests the larger part of S-Hill’s significance is derived from the design and decoration category, perhaps it is too bold to consider the build an architectural significance because it did not necessarily further technical architectural understandings but in fact inspired through its’ unconventional decor. Moreover, the significance in S-Hill’s décor is considerably more in the 20th century than any other but this statement has its’ limitations, famously Walpole kept certain rooms closed to the public so it may be considered that the reason 20th century has found more value in S-Hill’s décor is because more material and rooms were uncovered to the public after Walpole’s death. However, this does not go to say that the public didn’t find inspiration in his décor; As Alain De Botton cited, Lady Anne Bligh was inspired, when building her own home, by the ceilings at Strawberry Hill.
Other elements in the sources should be considered such as the lack of contemporary evidence there is to support and to criticise Horace Walpole’s work. This may be for a range of issues such as the low literary levels of the time which would have impacted on the public’s ability to critic his work. Not only was Walpole’s (2685)
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influence within society, particularly amongst high status politicians, of such significance that people were anxious to criticise him due to the fear of retribution. However, the studies suggest Strawberry Hill was both a base from which architectural styles developed as well as a reflection of the fashions which he adopted. Furthermore, the controversial style of Walpole’s Strawberry Hill was evidently significance as today the building’s original style has been restored and therefore the lack of contemporary evidence is irrelevant in comparison to the physical building which still remains.
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Bibliography
Books
Allsopp, Bruce. Clark, Ursula. English Architecture,( Oriel Pres Ltd, 1979).
Braun, Hugh. A Short History of English Architecture, (Faber and Faber Ltd, 1950).
Bussagli, Marco. Understanding Architecture, (I.B Tauris, 2005).
Chalcraft, Anna. Viscardi, Judith. Strawberry Hill: Horace Walpole’s Gothic Castle, (Frances Lincoln Ltd, 2007).
Clark, Kenneth. The Gothic Revival: An essay in the history of taste, (Butler and Tanner Ltd, 1928).
De Botton, Alain. The Architecture of Happiness, (Penguin Books Ltd, 2007).
Murray, Peter. Kidson, Peter. Thompson, Paul . A History of English Architecture, (Penguin Books Ltd, 1965).
Journals
Gilman, Roger. The Theory of Gothic Architecture and the effect of shellfire at Rheims and Soissons, (American Journal of Archaeology, Jan – March 1920).
Guillery, Peter. Snodin, Michael. Strawberry Hill: Building and Site, (Architectural History, Vol. 38, 1995).
Lang, S. The Principles of the Gothic Revival in England,( The Journal of Architectural Historians, Vol. 25, No.4, Dec 1966).
Lewis, W.S. The Genesis of Strawberry Hill, (Metropolitan Museum Studies, Vol. 5, No.1, August 1934).
McNeil, Peter. Crafting queer spaces: privacy and posturing, (University of Technology Sydney, 2007).
Moyer, Reed. The Letters of Gray, Walpole and Couper, (Sewanee Review, vol. 13, no.3 July 2005).
Newspapers
Derrick. Ballad, (Issue 8692, Public Advertiser, 11th September 1762).
Hill, Rosemary. Welcome to Strawberry Hill: Chronology and architecture at the service of Horace Walpole, (The Times Literary Supplement, May 19, 2010).
Unknown Author,( Issue 11604, Public Advertiser, 8th January 1772).
Unknown Author,( The London Guide ,1782).
Unknown Author, (Issue 1697, Morning Chronicle and London Advertiser, 31st October 1774).
Vickery, Amanda. Horace Walpole and Strawberry Hill, (The Guardian, 20th February 2010).
Websites
www.all-art.org
www.bbc.co.uk
www.strawberryhillhouse.org.uk
Yale University Library
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[ 1 ]. Walpole to Conway, June 8th 1747, Letters, II, 279, 280
[ 2 ]. Such as the Earl of Bedford whom is said to have risen early each morning to cut the bushes symmetrically in Bedford Square, London
[ 3 ]. Walpole began to build in 1746 but did not start ‘gothicising’ until 1750
[ 4 ]. Considered to be one of the largest houses built in the eighteenth century
[ 5 ]. Also known as Follies
[ 6 ]. Horace Walpole to Horace Mann, 1763
[ 7 ]. Unknown author, The Modern Universal British Traveller, pg 331
[ 8 ]. Different writers provide different figures however Chalcraft suggests over 5000
[ 9 ]. Reference to the plaque which is now on the entrance to Strawberry Hill which reads ‘Horace Walpole 1717 – 1797 Man Of Letters Lived Here.’
[ 10 ]. Alain De Botton, The architecture of happiness
[ 11 ]. Rosemary Hill, welcome to strawberry Hill: chronology and architecture at the service of Horace Walpole
[ 12 ]. Augustus Charles Pugin, Specimens of gothic architecture selected from various ancient edifices in England, London, J Taylor Architectural Library, 1823, XIV
[ 13 ]. Peter Murray, A History of English Architecture, page 250
[ 14 ]. S.Lang, The Journal of the Society if Architectural Historians, vol. 25, No.4, Dec 1966
[ 15 ]. Professor Peter McNeil, Crafting Queer Spaces: Privacy and Posturing, pg.1, 2007
[ 16 ]. Professor Peter McNeil, Crafting Queer Spaces: Privacy and Posturing pg. 3, 2007
[ 17 ]. Horace Walpole and Strawberry Hill, Amanda Vickery, the Guardian, 2010
[ 18 ]. Horace Walpole and Strawberry Hill, Amanda Vickery, the Guardian, 2010
