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Restoration of Horace Walpole's 'little Gothic castle'
is underway.
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We are now taking advance
bookings for
special guided tours for groups
from September 2010.
For
further information please contact Claire
Leighton on 020 8898 6786. E mail
Tours@FriendsOfStrawberryHill.org
The
Strawberry Hill Trust and the Friends of Strawberry Hill are
pleased to announce that they have reached the final hurdle in
matching the funds offered by the
Heritage Lottery Fund. Many people have been extremely
generous:
English Heritage, The
Architectural Heritage Fund, The
Wolfson Foundation, The Weston Family Foundation, The
Foyle Foundation, The
City Bridge Trust and the Robert W Wilson Challenge Fund in
New York through the
World Monuments Fund Britain have all supported the project.
Local societies, US patrons and individuals have also
contributed.
Over the
last two years a massive amount of research has been carried out
by
Inskip and Jenkins, the conservation architects, with the
help of many of the Friends and Guides. Strawberry Hill is now
probably one of the best documented houses in the country. We
are all aware of its unique importance to the history of
architecture and of literature and its significance as a local
treasure.
Although we
have not quite reached the £8.2 million target, we have enough
funds in place for the project to begin. The Strawberry Hill
Trust has appointed E.Bowman
and Sons of Stamford in Lincolnshire to undertake the
conservation work and they are now on site. The restored house
and grounds will open to the public in early summer 2010 to
coincide with an important exhibition about Horace Walpole and
his collections at the
V&A, curated by Michael Snodin, Chairman of the Strawberry
Hill Trust.
Judith Lovelace
Chair
Friends of Strawberry Hill
The Friends of Strawberry Hill gratefully acknowledge
the generous support of:
The Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University, Beinecke
Rare Book and
Manuscript Library, Yale University, the Provost and
Fellows of Eton College
and the Librarian and Staff of Eton College Library.
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