This Halloween, Strawberry Hill House transforms into the stage of Horace Walpole’s darkest imaginings. Here, in his “little Gothic castle,” the Gothic was born: one night in 1764 Walpole dreamt of a giant armoured hand on a staircase and awoke to write The Castle of Otranto — the first Gothic novel, the blueprint for every haunted castle and uncanny tale that followed.
Walpole even coined a word, “gloomth,” to capture the sublime mix of shadow and warmth he cultivated here. As Walpole himself said, “with a Gothic house, all you need to bring is your imagination, and the House will do the rest!” From 25 October to 2 November 2025, the house will return to that very atmosphere: shutters drawn, every room alive with flickering candlelight, as unsettling stories echo through the halls and visitors wander at their own pace.
Bewitching botanical displays by the Flower Festival Team, including this year’s guest curator Gaia Eros, will twine through the rooms, adding to the ghostly spell. Among them, two uncanny figures fashioned from nature’s remnants will linger in the Hall — half-human, half-forest, as though Strawberry Hill itself had conjured them from shadow.
Families can take part in a riddle-strewn Halloween Garden Trail throughout the week, complete with a sweet treat reward from the Garden Café.
For those who seek a deeper thrill, our Halloween late Strawberry Hill After Dark debuts on 31 October. In the half-light, the house takes on its most uncanny guise — long corridors heavy with shadow, fan-vaulted ceilings looming overhead in shifting shadow, and historic objects that whisper of treachery, tragedy, and ghostly apparitions. A glass of fizz or a seasonal “moonlit elixir” will steady the nerves as Walpole’s vision unfolds around you.
And as a special prelude, join us on the 17th October for a Halloween Bat Walk in the gardens — a moonlit fundraiser where Gothic lore meets nocturnal nature, guided by conservation experts with bat detectors in hand.
Don’t ghost us this Halloween — book your tickets now!
Photography: Matt Chung (interior of the house) and Lucy Spiers (Flower Festival 2025).
Featuring displays by Gaia Eros @gaiaerosflorals, Dimitris Koutroumpas @dreamersarewelcome, Jane Sked @janeskedcreative, and Amy Belle @hamsey_belle.
Strawberry Hill After Dark – Halloween Candlelit Late
On Friday 31 October, the house takes on its most uncanny guise. Wander long corridors heavy with shadow, look up to fan-vaulted ceilings looming in shifting candlelight, and sense objects whispering of lives long past. A moonlit elixir will steady your nerves as Walpole’s vision unfolds around you.
Standard Ticket: £25
Halloween Garden Trail – Saturday 25 October – Sunday 2 November 2025, 9am–4pm
Grab your little ghouls and goblins this October half term and explore the grounds of Walpole’s little Gothic castle with a spooky twist.
£2 per trail map, including a cauldron cake from the Garden Café if you solve the riddles!
As a prelude to Halloween, join us on Friday 17th October for a one-of-a-kind Halloween Bat Walk in the grounds of Strawberry Hill. With local conservation experts, you’ll step into Walpole’s wooded landscape at twilight, using bat detectors to tune in to the eerie calls of pipistrelles and other nocturnal hunters.
Ticket: £10 adult, £5 children (all proceeds will support both the Strawberry Hill Trust and Habitats & Heritage).
