At the core of this major restoration project will be the creation of a comprehensive education and interpretation centre using the restored house as its focus as well as renovating existing rooms. There will be Walpole’s wonderful garden for the local community and visitors to enjoy. The vision is to turn this important heritage property into a place where education and enjoyment are intrinsic to its purpose. It will be an innovative and community-serving place providing enjoyment for audiences - locally, nationally and internationally. Close links are being developed with the Walpole Library at Farmington, part of Yale University, USA, where many of Walpole’s papers and collections are kept. St Mary’s University College, the former lease-holder, is planning a number of academic courses in collaboration with the Trust using Walpole’s Villa as the focal point.

The design team, led by the conservation architects, Inskip and Jenkins, has undertaken very extensive historical research and has now embarked upon a process of investigation of the house itself.  Expert paint analysis is being carried out with exciting results: in the Front Hall Walpole’s original trompe l’oeil designs have been discovered under later accretions of paint and in several other rooms 18^th century colours and gilding are being revealed on the chimney pieces.  Wall-paper analysis is about to begin, although several 18^th and 19^th century papers have been discovered already in cupboards left undisturbed while the surrounding room were re-decorated.  The separation works and analysis will continue into the New Year.  There will follow a period of enabling and planning works.

The main contract is expected to be let in November 2008 and the house is scheduled to re-open in Spring 2010 to coincide with an exhibition Walpole and Strawberry Hill to be shown at the Victoria & Albert Museum which will be shown in the preceding Autumn at the Yale Centre for British Art at Yale University, USA.

When the works are complete, Twickenham will be home to an exceptional property of local, national and international importance. The house will provide a dynamic education and interpretation centre, and a glorious garden, all of which may be enjoyed by a wide range of audiences and will become a vital and contributing part of the local community.

The complete cost for the planning and restoration is £8.9 million. The Heritage Lottery Fund has made a £4.9m grant and a large proportion of the remaining funding has been raised from generous donors.  There remains a potential funding gap of about £1 million and the Strawberry Hill Trust is seeking to raise the outstanding sum before letting the main contract in Autumn 2008.