This October, an already spookily charming corner of London is set to transform into an even darker destination than before. For Halloween, London’s own gothic castle, Strawberry Hill House, will receive a spooky, floral-led makeover. ‘Spooky and floral?’, you might say, ‘flowers aren’t very spooky, are they?’ But you’ll be eating your words when you come face to face with these creations made from nature’s detritus.
Strawberry Hill House will become suffused with ‘gloomth’ – a word coined by the house’s creator to describe “the sublime mix of shadow and warmth” – this month. From October 25 – November 2, the stage will be set for “Horace Walpole’s darkest imaginings”. They’ll be drawing the shutters and filling each room with flickering candlelight. And as visitors make their way around the haunting castle, “unsettling stories [will] echo through the halls”.
After wandering around its grounds, it will be clear to anyone how the location inspired Walpole to write The Castle of Otranto, which was the very first Gothic novel. In fact, it’s gone on to act as the blueprint for every haunted castle since.
Ghostly floral figures
Last month, a number of talented floral artists descended upon Strawberry Hill House to transform the site for the annual Flower Festival. These same talented artisans have returned to spook-ify the site for Halloween. They’ve created some truly “bewitching botanical displays”.
But perhaps most unnerving of them all are the “two uncanny figures fashioned from nature’s remnants”. Existing halfway between a human form and a shadow of the forest, these linger in the Hall and look almost as if the building itself “had conjured them from shadow.”
As well as the nature-based displays, several special treasures from Strawberry Hill House’s collection are being exhibited around the castle. These range from “the chair of Sir Peter Warburton, a judge who signed Guy Fawkes’s death warrant, [to] the silver-eyed bust of Emperor Caligula, whose stony gaze has unsettled generations in the Tribune.”
Strawberry Hill House Halloween events
To accompany the creeeeepy new aesthetics, Strawberry Hill House will be hosting some special events around Halloween. These include a Halloween Garden Trail and a special After Dark tour of the site.
The family-friendly Halloween Garden Trail takes children around the grounds to search for clues and solve playful rhymes. Along the way, they’ll encounter curious sights – “from clawing hands and warning whispers to hints of witches, fairies and other mischievous spirits.” Make it to the end of the trail map, and you’ll even earn yourself a free sweet treat from the Garden Café!
If, however, you want to go deep into the gothic heart of Strawberry Hill, be sure to tag along for the debut of their late Strawberry Hill After Dark tour. A special Halloween-themed event will greet visitors on October 31 with a “moonlit elixir” before they roam around the house in the half-light. Shadows will loom as you wander down the long corridors, and Walpole’s Gothic vision will unfold around you.
So, what are you waiting for? Wander the candlelit rooms, and discover the atmosphere that inspired the whole Gothic genre.
Find out more about Strawberry Hill House & Garden here.
📍 You’ll find Strawberry Hill House at 268 Waldegrave Road, Twickenham, TW1 4ST. The nearest station is Strawberry Hill.