A Halloween Guided Tour: Death, Dreams and the Supernatural
A Halloween Guided Tour: Death, Dreams and the Supernatural
Saturday 31 October 2026 | 11am, 1pm & 2.30pm
This Halloween, enter Horace Walpole’s little Gothic castle for a special guided tour exploring the dark imagination behind Strawberry Hill.
Moving through the shadowy chambers, winding passages and theatrical interiors of the house, discover how Walpole transformed medieval architecture, dreams and the supernatural into a new kind of Gothic world. Hear the story of The Castle of Otranto, the novel born from one of Walpole’s nightmares, and encounter tales of ghosts, omens, ancestral curses and mysterious apparitions.
Along the way, discover:
-
The nightmare that inspired the first Gothic novel
-
How Strawberry Hill became a stage for the supernatural
-
Why The Castle of Otranto shocked its earliest readers
-
The ghosts, prophecies and ancestral secrets at the heart of Gothic fiction
Duration: 60 minutes | Tours at 11am, 1pm & 2.30pm
Tickets: Standard Adult £24.50 | Student £20
Places are limited and advance booking is strongly recommended.
Image: Death, disguised as the knight William, reveals himself to Leonora. After Lady Diana Beauclerk, 1796. Formerly in Horace Walpole’s collection at Strawberry Hill. Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University
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A Halloween Guided Tour: Death, Dreams and the Supernatural
Saturday 31 October 2026 | 11am, 1pm & 2.30pm
This Halloween, enter Horace Walpole’s little Gothic castle for a special guided tour exploring the dark imagination behind Strawberry Hill.
Moving through the shadowy chambers, winding passages and theatrical interiors of the house, discover how Walpole transformed medieval architecture, dreams and the supernatural into a new kind of Gothic world. Hear the story of The Castle of Otranto, the novel born from one of Walpole’s nightmares, and encounter tales of ghosts, omens, ancestral curses and mysterious apparitions.
Along the way, discover:
-
The nightmare that inspired the first Gothic novel
-
How Strawberry Hill became a stage for the supernatural
-
Why The Castle of Otranto shocked its earliest readers
-
The ghosts, prophecies and ancestral secrets at the heart of Gothic fiction
Duration: 60 minutes | Tours at 11am, 1pm & 2.30pm
Tickets: Standard Adult £24.50 | Student £20
Places are limited and advance booking is strongly recommended.
Image: Death, disguised as the knight William, reveals himself to Leonora. After Lady Diana Beauclerk, 1796. Formerly in Horace Walpole’s collection at Strawberry Hill. Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University
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