The author’s impression of Strawberry hill. Inspired by a 19th century painting of an unknown artist. Digital illustration
Strawberry Hill : Horace Walpole’s Gothic closet.
In order to understand how queerness and sexuality manifested spatially in the past the project diverted its focus to18th century London and looked at the history of Strawberry Hill House in Twickenham. Strawberry Hill is a Neo-Gothic palace envisioned by Horace Walpole, a queer man, writer, architect, socialite and the son of United Kingdom’s first prime minister. Inside his secluded mansion he created a world of his own, where he could explore his identity freely from the wondering eye.
The house was not a product of one man alone, but it was developed with Horace’s inner circle of male friends, between 1747 and 1777. Designers John Chute and Richard Bentley collaborated with Walpole in creating a house that essentially introduced a new style of Gothic as an architectural language, when ‘Palladianism’ was still in fashion. The three of them proclaimed themselves as the Strawberry Hill Committee, or the Committee of Taste ( Haggerty, 2011). Inside the house, the committee created a sensory and mysterious environment, reminiscent of Medieval architecture and the Gothic cathedrals that Horace had encountered during his travels to Italy. Intricate Papier-Mache ceilings, moulding, antique furniture and stained-glass windows all encapsulated the character of the Neo-Gothic. In fact, Horace was so fond of his achievements that he meticulously documented every architectural detail, art and belongings inside the house. He then published the book: ‘A description of the Villa of Mr Horace Walpole’ - a forensic inventory of Strawberry hill and its curiosities.
It was clear that the house was a portrait of Horace himself.
“It was clear that the house was a portrait of Horace himself”
Over the years, Strawberry Hill became a sort of an amusement park for its patron. In one of his many letters he referred to it as ‘a little plaything-house and the prettiest bauble you ever saw’(Haggerty, 2011 p.7). Anachronistically historian Mathew Reeve described Strawberry Hill as: ‘A large Gothic closet to which Walpole could sometimes retire when he wished to express his true persona with intimate friends’ (Reeve, 2013 p.411). Timothy Mowl, a contemporary biographer of Horace Walpole, claimed that his homosexuality was an abiding yet overlooked subject in understanding his aesthetics and the development of the Neo-Gothic ( Mowl, 1996 ). One could argue whether Horace’s employment of the Gothic was in fact a ‘high-camp’ act of defiance against normative conventions and his disregard of the Palladian style that prevailed. (Reeve, 2013 p.411).
The irregular plan of Horace’s Strawberry Hill House (left) compared to the ‘Palladian’ and ordered plan of Houghton Hall (right), which was built by Horace’s father Robert Walpole source : Wikimedia foundation
This act of Queer architectural rebellion is not any less relevant today, where we encounter the replacement of our collective spaces with towering glass architecture [6]. As it stands today, the city does not represent the majority that inhabit it, but the interests of the wealthy few. For years the abundance of empty spaces in London’s city centre provided a platform for LGBTQ+ venues to emerge, but ownership was temporary as urban space has been driven by capital not communities. Soho for instance, the city’s infamous ‘gayborhood’ has been reduced to an array of homogenous luxury sneaker shops [7].
When Horace Walpole was alive, effeminate men were ridiculed in theatrical plays and executed in public for ‘indecent’ behaviour (Ackroyd ,2018 p.148). Although coming from a place of privilege, Horace could not change the society he was living in. So, he ventured into the next best thing. He used his wealth to build a safe space for him and his adopted queer family (Reeve, 2013 p.428). Nowadays, it is safe to say that we do not need ‘gated estates’ to shield our identities. But we still need spaces to perform those identities and share our ‘otherness’ with each other. The same way Cyril and other queer immigrants did upon their arrival to London. What would Horace do today if he could change society?
