A Georgian Christmas at Horace Walpole’s Gothic Castle
3 December 2025 – 4 January 2026
This Christmas, Strawberry Hill House invites you to step into an eighteenth-century storybook scene — where candlelight glows across gilded ceilings, shadows flicker through Gothic halls, and Horace Walpole’s “little Gothic castle” is transformed for the festive season.
Long before the Victorians made Christmas their own, the Georgians celebrated with elegance and restraint — evergreens, candles, and classical ornament lending quiet beauty to winter interiors. At Strawberry Hill, those traditions find their natural home. The house’s deliberately dark corridors give way to bright, gilded rooms, a design that heightens the sense of wonder — especially when dressed in a warm Christmas glow.
It was on Christmas Eve 1764 that Walpole published The Castle of Otranto, the world’s first Gothic novel. Its haunted towers and family secrets were imagined within these very walls, and their spirit lingers still. Two centuries on, the house still carries the same sense of drama and enchantment — never more so than at Christmas, when candlelight and shadow revive its original magic.
Join us this December for a programme of seasonal events, from Georgian wreath-making and festive family craft workshops to our Candlelit Christmas Late with live harp music.
Come in from the winter dark — the castle is waiting to welcome you.
Candlelit Christmas Late with Live Harpist
Friday 19 December 2025 | Arrival in slots from 6.30–8.30 pm
Experience the magic of Christmas at Strawberry Hill House as our rooms glow with candlelight and the sound of live harp music fills the air.
Wander through Horace Walpole’s Gothic castle after hours, beautifully decorated for the festive season, and enjoy a glass of fizz as you soak up the atmosphere.
A truly enchanting evening of music, history and seasonal splendour — the perfect way to celebrate Christmas at the castle.
Tickets: Standard £25 | Student £17.50
Georgian Christmas Wreath-Making Workshop
Saturday 6 December 2025 | 10am–12pm or 1pm–3pm
Join Lilian’s Flowers to create your own timeless wreath, using fragrant evergreens, ivy, seed heads, pinecones and dried fruit to capture the beauty of an 18th-century Christmas. Working with sustainably sourced, fully compostable materials, you’ll learn how to build a moss-covered ring and adorn it with seasonal textures and colour.
Take home a wreath worthy of Walpole’s “little Gothic castle” — a fragrant reminder of the Georgian Christmas spirit.
Tickets: £75
Christmas Crafts at the Castle
Saturday 13th & Saturday 20th December 2025 | 12pm or 2pm
A festive family workshop at Strawberry Hill House, where creativity and Christmas spirit combine!
Spend a joyful session making a range of seasonal crafts — from tree decorations and tea light holders to beautifully iced gingerbread. Perfect for children and their grown-ups, this hands-on experience offers a cosy way to celebrate the season inside Horace Walpole’s enchanting Gothic castle.
All materials provided.
Tickets: Child £15 | Accompanying Adult £8
