The Castle of Otranto
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The Castle of Otranto is a novel by Horace Walpole. First published in 1764, it is generally regarded as the first Gothic novel. In the second edition, Walpole applied the word 'Gothic' to the novel i
Title page from the second edition
The novel was inspired by a nightmare Walpole had at Strawberry Hill House (18th-century engraving of the Gothic villa pictured).
Illustration from a 1794 German edition
Portrait of Horace Walpole by Joshua Reynolds, 1756
Strawberry Hill House
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Strawberry Hill House—often called simply Strawberry Hill—is a Gothic Revival villa in Twickenham, London, built by Horace Walpole from 1749 onward. It is the prototypical example of the "Strawberry H
The Castle of Otranto
…books, films, art, music, and the Goth subculture. Walpole was inspired to write the story after a nightmare he had at his Gothic Revival home, Strawberry Hill House, in Twickenham, southwest London. Claiming he saw a ghost in the nightmare—which featured a "gigantic hand in armour"—Walpole incorporated imagery from…
Strawberry Hill House in 2012 after restoration
Clock tower of the later 'Waldegrave' extension
The Robert Adam fireplace in the round room