Strawberry Hill House

This sinister Gothic castle is an exotic concoction of mysterious turrets, gilded ceilings and dazzling stained glass windows. Starting life as an unassuming cottage in Twickenham, Strawberry Hill House was bought by Horace Walpole - the son of England's first Prime Minister - in 1749 and was transformed from an orderly Georgian idyll into a magnificent Gothic mansion. Between 1747 and 1792 Walpole, a compulsive collector, doubled its size and in doing so sparked a Gothic revival, establishing a taste for fireplaces and gilded ceilings like mediaeval tombs and vaults, painted glass with rustic and biblical scenes and heraldry. Further additions were made by the Countess Waldegrave in the 19th century. A famous tourist site in its own day, today it has become a crumbling treasure, listed by World Monuments as one of the 100 most endangered houses. However, the impressive battlements are as sinister as ever, the stained glass is still spectacular, the lavish library is meticulous in its decoration, and as you wander down the ghostly long gallery you cannot help but wonder who is round the corner. In September 2010 the effects of a glorious ?8.9 million restoration were revealed.