What do Strawberry Hill House and the word ‘serendipity’ have in common?

Both were created by Sir Horace Walpole.

Horace Walpole, son of British first Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole and the author of the first gothic novel The Castle of Otranto, has spent forty years, beginning in 1749, turning his house into a gothic castle.The result is spectacular and I can’t believe that I haven’t visit it earlier because I literally live 10 minutes walk from it.

I saw the exterior of the Strawberry Hill house before and it always leaves me speechless because you would never expect big white fairytale-like castle in your neighborhood, would you?Inside is just a dream. Details on the ceilings are just stunning, especially in my favorite rooms The Gallery and The Library.  Equally exciting are the dramatic Gothic staircase in the entrance, and the views from the upper levels, which shows off the gardens and grounds underneath beautiful stained-glass windows.

Each room has a steward inside to answer questions and talk visitors through the finer details of the interior. It’s more interactive than just using the (admittedly good) guidebook that comes with the entry ticket and brings the house to life with stories and anecdotes.Although the rooms are so special and every single one is different, most of the original furniture is gone thanks to one of an earls from Waldgrave family who sold everything out so you will have to imagine how it really looked like.Considering that this House survived fire, flood and WW2 bomb falling through the roof it still looks unbelievable thanks to extensive renovation.

It’s definitely worth a visit.You can get here from Central London by taking the train from Waterloo to Strawberry Hill which will take around 30minutes. Price of the ticket is £12.50 for adult or half the price for students.Before you go you might want to check opening hours because place is often booked for events and wedding and it’s closed.

Light inside is not amazing but I managed to take some photos of my outfit as well while other visitors were probably thinking we are completely mad.

What I Wore: Skirt: Zara(similar) | Top: Zara| Shoes: Pull & Bear(similar) | Bag: Accessorize(old)

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