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The Cloisters
Sarah Katz
Zahira Machado
2005

The Great Cloister:

Design, Construction and
Description 1758-1784
In September 1758, Horace Walpole wrote this
passage to Horace Mann revealing the creation
I am again got into the hands of builders, though
this time to a very small extent; only, the addition
of a little cloister and bedchamber. The day may
come that will produce a gallery, a round tower,
a larger cloister, and a cabinet, in the manner of a
little chapel but I am too poor for these ambitious
designs yet, and I have so many ways of dispersing
my money, that I dont know when I shall be richer.1

that Strawberry Hill would eventually become.

Earlier that year, Walpole had begun the second
phase of alterations to his villa (the first phase in
1753 had included a new central stair and relocation of the main entrance to the north front of
the house). This second campaign, completed in
1759, included the addition of 1) the Little Cloister to the houses north faade just south of
the main entrance, 2) an adjoining
Pantry on the houses ground floor,
and 3) the Holbein Chamber on the
houses first floor above the Little
Cloister (see Image 1).

As suggested by the letter to Mann,

Walpole envisioned these additions
as the first stage of an ambitious
scheme to enlarge and Gothicize Strawberry Hill. Indeed, Peter
Guillery has suggested that 1758
Artist unknown, 1775, courtesy of the Richmond Library
Image 1: The southeast view of Strawberry Hill showing the exterior of the Great cloister

marked a radical change in Walpoles approach to his house, representing a clear abandonment of


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the attachment to symmetry and more conven-

character and allusions to medieval religious ar-

tional planning that had characterized earlier

chitecture, the additions contributed significant-

additions. In the 1758 additionsand the work to

ly to the houses Gothic character. 4

follow beginning in 1760 Walpole whole-heartedly embraced the irregularity and asymmetry of
the Gothic.

Walpoles 1784 Description of Strawberry Hill included a series of watercolors, among them an
image of the Great Cloister (see Image 2). The

In 1759, John Chute, an architect and member

image depicts the room looking west (the east

of Walpoles Committee of Taste, submitted

elevation is behind the viewer) and shows a long

a drawing for a Great Cloister to

be constructed on the south end
of Strawberry Hills ground floor.
Walpole appears to have been
thoroughly pleased with the plans
Gothic character, 3

writing [i]n

short you have a proportion and

given a simplicity and lightness
to it that I never expected, requesting only that the buttresses
be slightly widened. Chute submitted a second design with enlarged
buttresses, and in 1760 work on the
Cloister, together with the Round

George Perfect Harding, Courtesy of the Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University

Tower, Long Gallery, and Tribune,

Image 2: The 1784 watercolor of the Great Cloister included in Walpoles

Description of the Villa of Mr. Horace Walpole

began. Work also appears to have

begun on the Oratory at the north end of the

rectangular room rendered white and ending in

Little Cloister, as well as on the servants hall,

an arched wall. The ceiling is groin-vaulted and

kitchen, and other service spaces that comprised

the floor consists of stone tiles set in a diagonal

the western wing of the ground floor, as well as

pattern. The south wall consists of five arched

the more formal section known as the Winding

bays separated by piers and open to the gar-

Cloister. Delayed by fire, flood, and striking work-

den. On the north elevation are five openings set

men, these alterations took nearly two years to

on axis with the southern arches; a central floor-

be completed in 1763, and doubled the size of

to-ceiling niche is flanked to the east and west

Strawberry Hill. Through both their asymmetrical

by two long arched windows with heavy grilles;


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and doorways are located at the east and west

ends of the room. At the center of the west elevation is a floor-to-ceiling niche housing a large

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In the winding cloysters on the right hand are

some ancient bas-reliefs; and a brass plate
with the effigies of Ralph Walpole, bishop of
Norwich and Ely, engraved by Mintz and a
Chinese lanthorn with scraped oyster-shells.7

vessel. Walpoles 1784 Description notes that a

blue and white china flower-pot stood at each
end of the room, suggesting that a similar niche

The 1781 plan depicts the area as a small L-

was located in the eastern elevation (behind

shaped passage linking the Great Cloister to the

the viewer in the watercolor). The central niche

south with the Little Cloister and Oratory on the

housed a fine antique marble vase, on a ped-

exterior of the houses north facade. The Wind-

estal with a Greek inscription; bought at the sale

ing Cloister is also shown as providing access to

of Chase Price, esq. in 1778, also visible in the

service spaces to the north and west, while a

watercolor.

window on the east wall looks out on a small Lshaped court flanked by the Pantry to the east;

Walpoles 1781 plan supports this depiction of

the Wine Cellar to the west; and a passageway

the room and offers further evidence of a niche

lined with service spaces which terminated at

on the east elevation. The Great Cloyster is

the kitchen in the base of the Round Tower.

represented as a rectangular open space with

doors at the east and west ends of the north el-

According to the 1781 plan, a pantry was also

evation. Small archways indicate a central niche

accessible via a door in the northern elevation

on the north elevation, as well as small niches in

of the Winding Cloister. A rectangular room pro-

the east and west elevations.

jecting north, the Pantry shared its eastern wall

with the exterior Little Cloister, with both spaces

W.S. Lewis suggests in his 1934 article that the

terminating at the Oratorys southern elevation.

Great Cloister and Round Tower were completed

Two windows in the pantrys east elevation over-

in 1761, and that the Gallery and Chapel were

looked the small service court; a square niche

completed slightly later in 1763.

The 1781 plan

was located between the two windows. The re-

indicates that the Great Cloisters eastern door

lationship of these spaces suggests a set of com-

led into what Walpole called in his Description

plexand seemingly contradictorycirculation

the Wynding Cloyster. No visual representa-

patterns originally existed within the ground floor

tions of this area in Walpoles time appear to ex-

of Strawberry Hill. As there was no doorway be-

ist, but Walpole does note:

tween the Main Entrance Hall and the Winding

Cloister, the entire ground floor of the western

wing could only be accessed through a small exterior door just to the north of the main entrance,


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which led from the Little Cloister into the Wind-

expanse and relative light of the Great Cloister

ing Cloister. Interestingly, doorways to the Little

which clearly opened out onto the gardens. In-

Cloister and the back stairs also functioned as

deed, his 1784 Description suggests that visitors

key service routes, connecting western service

enter the Great Cloister via the Back Stairs. 10 Fi-

areas with the living quarters and public spaces

nally, given the limited access from the houses

to the east of the house. The kitchen was located

interior, a primary mode of entry to the Great

in the base of the round tower, so to transport

Cloister must have been through the garden at

food from the kitchen to the refectory (located

the houses south side. When considered with the

at the northeast edge the ground floor) servants

Cloisters architectural status as a semi-exterior

would have had to pass through the passageway

space, this suggests that the Cloister must have

along the back of the Great Cloister, through the

functioned, for Walpole, as much as garden folly

Winding Cloister, out the Little Cloister and in

as an interior space, serving as the point of in-

through the main entrance.

tersectionand interactionbetween the house

and its landscape.

This complex configuration of spaces and the

seemingly deliberate use of narrow passageways
for circulation suggest several things about Wal-

The Great Cloister:

poles design intent and how he may have un-

The Present Status

derstood and used these spaces. The existence

Today Walpoles great progression of gothic

of a distinct and unimpeded passageway from

spaces terminates in a series of neglected offices.

the Oratory and Little Cloister to the Winding

Since Walpoles time the Great Cloister has been

Cloister and into the Great Cloister emphasizes

enclosed, its arched bays in-filled with windows

the thematic link between the spaces, suggest-

severing its connection to the landscape. Parti-

ing that Walpole intended these areas as a se-

tion walls have subdivided the space, obscuring

quence. Together the spaces formed a ceremo-

its former sweep, while peeling wallpaper covers

nial procession through the bottom of the house

its former spare, monastic white walls.

to evoke medieval religious sentiments and

create direct associations between Strawberry
Hill and Englands Catholic past, thus contributing significantly to the houses Gothic character.
Walpole seems to have intended the progression
through these spaces to be deliberately theatrical: visitors would have moved through a series
of small, dark, enclosed spaces to reach the

In spite of these alterations, key elements of the

Great Cloisters original architectural design and
material survive. A comparison between the
space today and the 1784 watercolor and 1781
plan reveals that the Cloister retains its original
groin-vaulted ceiling and five-bay configuration (see Image 3). The existing plaster pendant


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moldings are features of the original space, and

Similarities in shape and texture to the niche on

although transformed, four of the five gothic-

the west elevation suggested that the area and

arched elements along the north elevation also

material were indeed original to Walpoles time

remain. The east doorway is in its original, loca-

and represented the remains of a sister niche.

tion, and the niche in the western wall also still

exists although it no longer extends to the floor.

A portion of Walpoles original stone floor was also

identified at the east end of the room. Investiga-

Archaeological investigations revealed existing

tions of the cabinet in the east elevation, includ-

areas of original fabric which have survived with-

ing the removal of the wooden floor, revealed a

in the Cloister. Based on Walpoles Description

Portland stone sub-floor. Subsequent removal of

and the location of a niche in the west elevation,

the carpet in the area just to the northwest of the

cabinet revealed a floor of Portland
stone tiles with 18th century tooling set in a diamond pattern with a
rectangular border. The tiles were
set in the same pattern as those
in the 1784 watercolor, suggesting
that they represent remains of the
original floor. (Further investigation
suggests that the stone flooring extends through Bay 1 but terminates
at Bay 2, where it is replaced with
20th century wooden flooring that
extends through Bays 2 and 3.

Courtesy of the University of Pennsylvania

Image 3: The Cloister looking east as it appeared in the summer of 2005

Finally the western door leading

into the Great Cloister appears to

the existence of a niche in the east elevation is

be an original Walpole door that was moved

more than likely. Investigations revealed a hollow

from the doorway that once occupied the 5th or

area just to the north of the existing cabinet, and

westernmost bay (this doorway has since been

an incision in the wall (plaster and lathe; con-

enclosed and replaced with a small arched win-

structed to cover the niche during the early-mid

dow). Comparisons with the Walpole watercolor

19th century)

11

revealed a curved area of plaster

partially obscured to the south by the cabinet.

reveal identical studded patterns on the door in

the painting and the existing door.


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Two layers of wallpaper fragments were discov-

ricals. Chalcraft noted that regardless of the use

ered during investigation of the cabinet on the

of the space, wallpaper would not have been in-

east elevation. These fragments provide evi-

stalled in an area open to the elements, suggest-

dence about when the Great Cloister was en-

ing strongly that the Cloister was enclosed by the

closedrefuting the widely-held view that this

early 19 th century, well before Lady Waldegraves

was done by Lady Waldegrave during the 1850s

arrival at Strawberry Hill in 1856. 14

and suggesting significant changes in the rooms

use during the 19th century under the auspices

Historic views of Strawberry Hill provide addition-

of Lady Waldegrave and earlier owners. The two-

al support for an earlier enclosure date, also sug-

compartment cabinet on the Cloisters east el-

gesting that the current window configuration

evation has a wood board interior. Removal of a

was present by 1830. One of a set of drawing of

portion of the lower compartments northern in-

Strawberry Hill known for their accuracy by John

terior wall revealed two wallpapers. The first pat-

Buckler in September 1826 depicts the Cloisters

tern is that of multi-colored birds and holly on a

exterior as a series of windows framed by arched

white background known to be installed by Lady

bays (see Image 4). Another engraving com-

Waldegrave which covered the second pattern

pleted between 1800 and 1830 also depicts the

of a simpler indigo and off-white geometrically

Cloister as enclosed, showing window tracery

patterned paper. According to wallpaper ex-

in the same pattern that exists today. The small

pert Anna Chalcraft, the purple wallpaper is a

window at the west end of the north elevation

very simple double-block paper colored with

(where the west door once stood) exhibits a simi-

indigo which dates from the early 19th century.

lar tracery design (although in wood), suggesting

The paper was applied directly to plaster rather

that the interior doorway was closed off and a

than burlap panels, as would have been done

new doorway punched during the same period

in a heavily used or formal living area.

12

Chal-

the Cloister was in-filled. The original Walpole

craft suggested that such a paper could have

door mentioned above was probably moved to

been used by Anne Damer, Walpoles cousin

its new location under bay three at this time.

who inherited Strawberry Hill in 1797 and was site

steward until 1810, when she transferred control
to the mother of Earl Waldegrave. 13 According
to Chalcraft, Damer is purported to have used
the Great Cloister as a studio space and/or theater and would likely have hung a simple paper,
such as the indigo one discovered, to highlight
art displays or serve as a background for theat-

The wallpaper with birds and holly provides further information about the chronology of the
Great Cloister. It suggests that during Lady Waldegraves period, the eastern portion of the
Great Cloister (the space appears to have been
subdivided by this time) was used as a bedroom
for a male family member or guest, rather than


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on this door also suggest that it was

hung during the early part of the
century.

Cabinets and Fireplaces:

Layers of Time
Walpoles

original

niche

in

the

Great Cloister on the east elevation

appears to have been in-filled to
create a cabinet or other storage
space. As suggested by the first
John Buckler, 1826, courtesy of the British Library
Image 4: The 1826 exterior view of the enclosed Cloister

wallpaper, this seems to have occurred during the early part of the
19 th century.

servants quarters as other historians have suggested. The wallpaper, identified by Chalcraft as
a mid-19th century 11-block wood pulp English
paper matches a sample of paper known to have
been purchased by Lady Waldegrave in 1854 or
1856. Chalcraft suggested that, as Lady Waldegrave habitually used floral patterns in womens
bedrooms and bird patterns for mens bedroom,
the Cloister most likely housed a mans bedroom.
Because the paper would have been quite ex-

Observation showed

that a plaster and lathe wall had been built into

the niche, squaring it off, with a plaster and lathe
wall also constructed on the east elevation to
concealed the exposed area of the niche. The
discovery of an early 19th century cut nail in the
wall lath, as well as the composition of the plaster (lime and horsehair), suggests that these alterations date from the early to mid 19th century.
Since its original construction, the cabinet has
undergone at least two series of changes.

pensive, it most likely would not have been used

for servants quarters.

As discussed earlier, the Gret Cloister was re-papered by Lady Waldegrave.

The ghost of a chair rail on the partition and

northern elevation strengthen the suggestion
that the space was intended for family or guests.
The ghosts sit on top of earlier 19th century plasterwork, suggesting an installation date for the
chair rail in the mid-19th century, 15 The L-hinges

Next, the current

wooden interior, was installed, probably during

the late 19th or early 20th century. Cut nails recovered from the wood board interior suggest a
late 19 th century construction date, while a scrap
of newspaper with the date 1927 found between
the wooden floor and the original stone floor sug-


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gests that at the latest, the cabinet was in place

tion plaster does not continue under the parti-

by 1927. Bakelite handles also suggest a possible

tion, suggesting that the partition was in place

early 20th century installation date. Cabinets on

at the time of plastering. Visual observation sug-

the west elevation of the partition wall exhibit

gests that the plaster from the north and partition

similar construction and thus were probably in-

walls match (the same lime and horsehair com-

stalled during the same period.

position) the plaster covering the niche on the

east elevation, suggesting that these three areas

During investigations, a grate was removed from

were plastered simultaneously during the early to

the wall to reveal a small opening with a brick

mid 19th century.

flue connected to a chimney (visible from the exterior), suggesting the space originally served a

A comparison of architectural plans was able to

fireplace. A small pipe in the lower west corner

establish a rough chronology for the Cloisters

implies that the element was later used for a gas

evolution and use during the 20th century. Ac-

heater. Multiple layers of brick, concrete, plas-

cording to the Pugin and Pugin plans (c. 1920s),

ter,

as well as the ghosts of several surrounds,

by the 1920s an additional partition wall had

make it impossible to definitively date the fire-

been installed between Bays 1 and 2, subdivid-

place; however, the chimney is visible in an 1862

ing the Cloister into three spaces: a small room

engraving, suggesting that the fireplace was in-

(one bay wide) to the north and two larger 2-bay

stalled between the Cloisters enclosure (1826 or

rooms to the south. (This partition wall is no lon-

before) and 1862.

ger extant, although a ghost is visible on the ceiling betweens Bays 1 and 2). Walpoles original
west doorway had been in-filled and replaced

Walls, Windows, and Doorways:

with a window (although as discussed above this

A Chronology of Infill and

probably occurred during the early 19th centu-

Subdivision

ry), and three new doorways punched through

The partition wall dividing the Cloister today appears to have been installed during the earlyto mid 19th century, probably at the same time
as the cabinet was inserted and east niche enclosed. Examination revealed that the parti-

in the locations of the original windows and central niche on the north elevation. Notations on
the plan indicated that the southern-most room
was used as a store, the middle and east sections
housing the matrons rooms.

tion wall is flushboard with a single plaster skim

coat. Observation of the joint between the parti-

According to plans prepared by Sir Albert Rich-

tion and the north elevation (brick with scratch

ardson, this configuration remained in place

and finish coats) revealed that the north eleva-

through the 1950s, with the only exception being


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the infill of the doorway that earlier had been

to the north connecting the Winding Cloister to

punched through the niche in Bay 4 on the north

the Little Cloister cofirms that this spaces over-

elevation (today this door/niche has a vertical

all form, architectural ornamentation, and door

wood board backing). Uses appear to have re-

are original to Walpole. The small square room

mained similar during this period with the western

has a ribbed groin-vaulted ceiling, and in each

area indicated as store and the center and east

corner a collonette runs from the spring of the

as sitting room.

vault to the baseboard. Beaded surrounds frame

pointed-arch doorways and floor tiles, known to

Alterations by the Dove Brothers c. 1962 indicat-

have been installed by Lady Waldegrave, are

ed on the Richardson plan show that the partition

cut around baseboards and surrounds, suggest-

wall between bays 1 and 2 was removed during

ing an earlier installation date for these elements.

the early 1960s. Current plans indicate that some

A visual examination of wall plaster revealed a

time between 1962 and the present, additional

lime and horsehair composition typical of the

partition walls were added to create the current

18th century, suggesting that only surface finish-

small L-shaped hallway/vestibule between the

es have changed. Architectural survey revealed

Cloisters two rooms. Additionally the doorway in

no evidence of alterations to any features, and

the niche under Bay 3 has been sealed off with

comparison between the door leading from the

wooden boards.

vestibule and the Little Cloister and the Walpolian door in the Great Cloister found a similar
studding and hardware.

The Winding Cloister

A lack of visual or written evidence for the Winding Cloister makes it difficult to determine what
original elements of form and fabric remain. The
smooth regular wall surface and flat, slightly
dropped ceiling, suggests that the L-space has
been re-plastered, obscuring elements of earlier
decoration. The only original material appears to
be the Roman friezes set into the Winding Cloisters north elevation, which Walpole describes in
his Description as some ancient bas-reliefs, (see
Image 5)

16

The lack of evidence of alterations

suggests that the friezes may be in their original

settings. An investigation of the small vestibule

An examination of baseboards in the Winding

Cloister revealed two pairs of small bump-outs.
The form of these elements, which are reminiscent of small plinths, suggests that they may have
originally supported decorative wall elements.
Taken together with the existing roundedbut
entirely plasteredarched opening just north of
the doorway into the Great Cloister, it is plausible that the Winding Cloister may have originally
featured a series of arched openings, representing an interior extension of the Little Cloister. As
a gloomy arcade lit by a single window to the
west, the space would have provided a clear


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visual and thematic link, as well as a physical

however, it is also possible that the doorway was

one, between the Little Cloister and the Great

created during the period when the Cloister was

Cloister, establishing a clear processional route

enclosed to create a link between the newly

through the lower house.

created interior space and the main house.

The Pugin and Pugin plans reveal that by the

Changes to Space:

1920s additional changes had occurred: the

A Chronology of the Winding

original doorway leading from the west elevation

Cloister

to the passageway had been closed off and a

A comparison of plans reveals that the Winding

Cloister has undergone significant changes in
layout, which have transformed it from a ceremonial space into a secondary service passage.
According to the 1781 plan, the Winding Cloister
and Main Entrance Hall were originally separated
by a solid wall, however today a doorway connects them. Crook and others suggest that this
doorway was created by Lady Waldegrave c.
1856 to render the house plan more convenient;

new doorway (still extant) just north of the original had been inserted. This doorway (inserted
approximately at the location of the spaces
original west window) led to a new hallway,
which had been created by enclosing the original service court to the north of the original passageway (also created was a larder to the southwest of the pantry). This new hallway connected
to original passageway, serving as the primary
point of access between the houses east wing
and western service areas (also reconfigured).

Courtesy of the University of Pennsylvania

Image 5: One of Walpoles original stone friezes in the little cloister

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Additionally, as part of a major reordering and

The center window of the west elevation visible

enlargement of the main entrance courtyard

in the 1781 plan was walled in by the 1920s, how-

and hall by Lady Waldegrave,

17

the Little Clois-

ever the window shown at the north end of the

ters second bay was closed, eliminating access

west elevation currently exists. The fireplace or

between that space and the Winding Cloister.

niche on the west elevation was in-filled between

the 1920s and 1950s and the area to the west

During 1950s, original circulation patterns were

of the pantry was originally an L-shaped court-

partially restored, when the doorway between

yard bounded by Pantry and Winding Cloister to

the vestibule and Little Cloister was re-opened as

east, the wine cellar to the west, and servants

part of the larger restoration of the North court-

passage to south, with direct entrances from all

yard (including reconstruction of the Little Clois-

three spaces. By the 1920s, this courtyard had

ter in 1959) and Main Entry Hall. 18 Plans however,

been enclosed to create a larder and new ser-

from the 1950s and 60s reveal no additional

vice passageway.

interior changes. Since the 1962 Dove Brothers

plan, a folding doorway has been inserted into

Based on drawing comparison, the southwest

what was originally the east end of the passage-

doorway leading to the current bathroom was

way to create a closet.

inserted between the 1920s and 1950s. The

southwest corner of the larder and the doorway
on the Pantrys north elevation were also infilled

The Pantry
For this project, no written or visual documentation for the Pantry was available from Walpoles
period other than his 1781 plan. A comparison
between the existing room and the 1781, 1920s,
1950s and 1960s plans, as well as physical ex-

between the 1950s and 1962 in order to create

the current bathroom. A small covered grate on
the west wall suggests the later addition of a
heating element, perhaps on the location of a
former fireplace. The niche, currently housing the
Wollmer frieze, was inserted after 1962.

amination, suggested the following about the

Pantrys condition and development: There is no
original fabric visible. Currently, there is no door

Recommendations

in the doorway in the southern elevation and no

Investigations of the Great Cloister, Winding

evidence for the prior existence of one.

Cloister, and Pantry have raised as many questions as they have answered, and the findings
presented in this report should be understood as
a point of departure for further research about

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the evolution of these spaces. While there are

many avenues for investigation, we have identified several areas to consider for the next phase

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Examination of archival and secondary source

material about the Little Cloister and Oratory
to better understand the relationship between
these spaces and the Winding Cloister and Great
Cloister.

of research:

Considerations for Interpretation

3

Detailed documentation and comparative analysis

of moldings and door types, with close attention
paid to baseboards and door surrounds. As
indicated in the attached catalogue ( see Report
Part 2) these spaces contain at least fifteen
different types of baseboards alone, suggesting
that an examination of these elements has much
to reveal. Molding profiles should be taken and
compared with other better-documented profiles
within the house to establish dated types, which
can then be located on plans and used to refine
room chronologies.

The lower part of the castle was hollowed into

several intricate cloisters. An awful silence reigned
throughout those subterraneous regions except
now and then some blasts of wind shook the door..
and which, grating on the rusty hinges, were reechoed through that long labyrinth of darkness.19

As the above quote suggests, the Great Cloister

Further investigation of the floor in the Great

Cloister to determine extent of original stone and
when/why areas were removed and replaced
with wood and investigation of the fireplace in
the southwest corner to the Great Cloister to help
establish chronology.

and its related processional spaces were funda-

More detailed investigation of southern elevation

of the Great Cloister to establish pattern of infill to
refine chronology.

many elements of Walpoles original design re-

Investigation of the substrate of the arched

doorway in Winding Cloister to establish if any
decorative elements/evidence of gothic archway
remain.

mental to Walpoles interpretation and experience of the Gothic at Strawberry Hill. Today,
although obscured by subsequent alterations,

main. Indeed the core architectural features of

the Great Cloister are very much evident, continuing to serve as defining features of the space.

Removal of carpet in Winding Cloister to

determine if any original flooring remains.

Given the centrality of the Great Cloister and its

Compilation and examination of archival

and secondary source material from the preWaldegrave period (1797-1856 ) to help establish
chronology. Particular attention should be paid to
Anne Damer to help determine if she enclosed the
Cloister.

basic integrity of its original form, and limited

Compilation and examination of archival

and secondary source material from Lady
Waldegraves period to help establish chronology.
Of particular importance would be the location of
building plans.
Examination of archival and secondary source
material about Walpoles original garden and
relationship between house and landscape.
Research could enhance understanding of the
Walpoles design intent and use for the Great
Cloister.

related spaces to Walpoles Gothic vision, the

historical and architectural significance of later

alterations, we propose that the Great Cloister
should be interpreted as a Walpolian space.

Future preservation and restoration efforts should

focus on returning the Great Cloister to its appearance in Walpoles period, as well as on restoring the original circulation patterns among
the Great Cloister, Winding Cloister, Little Clois-

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ter, and Back Stairs. Given the close relationship

between the Great Cloister and the landscape
during Walpoles time, any planning should occur in conjunction with the development of
landscape interpretation/restoration strategies.

As the Pantry was not part of Walpoles original

Gothic procession, it should be separately considered. The lack of any discernable design elements and documentary evidence make it an
unlikely candidate for preservation. However,
the presence of the Wollmer frieze suggests the
possibility of public interest in the space. When
coupled with the adjacent bathroom, this suggests that the Pantry could be put into service
used as a lobby/store or other public area.

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Notes
1.

Walpole, Letters, XXI, 238-39. Peter Guillery,

Strawberry Hill: Building and Site (Part One),
Architectural History 38: 1995, 102-116: 109-110

2.

Guillery,115-16.

3.

W.S. Lewis, The Genesis of Strawberry Hill,

Metropolitan Museum Studies Vol. 5: 1934, Note
1.

4.

Lewis, 76. Lewis suggests that the Great Cloister and

Round Tower were completed in 1761, and that
the Gallery and Chapel were completed in 1763.

12. Conversation with Anna Chalcraft 7/23/05. All

information about wallpaper use, dates, etc. was
provided by Chalcraft
13. J. Mordaunt Crook, Strawberry Hill RevisitedIII,
Country Life (June 14, 1973), 1793-1797, 1793.
14. Conversation with Anna Chalcraft 7/23/05. All
information about wallpaper use, dates, etc. was
provided by Chalcraft. 21 J. Mordaunt Crook,
Strawberry Hill RevisitedIII, Country Life (June
14, 1973), 1793-1797, 1793.
15. Conversation with Kevin Rogers 7/24/05

5.

Ibid.

16. Walpole, Description, 2-3.

6.

Facsimile of Horace Walpole A Description of the Villa

of Mr. Horace Walpole, Youngest Son of Sir Robert
Walpole Earl of Orford, at Strawberry-Hill near
Twickenham, Middlesex. (Strawberry Hill: 1784),
80-81.

17. Iddon, John, Horace Walpoles Strawberry Hill: A

History and Guide from Walpoles Time to the
Present. Twickenham, St. Marys University
College, 1996), 28.

7.

Walpole, Description, 80-81.

18. from Richardson & House LTD., 16 February 1959 from

Rebecca Preston, Transcriptions of Farmington
Correspondence March 2005

8.

For this project, no additional written or visual

documentation of the Pantry was available.

19. Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto Page 27

9.

Lewis, 80.

10. Walpole, Description, 80-81.

11. A plaster sample revealed lime and horsehair substrate
typical of early-mid 19th century

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The Cloisters Chronology

1698, Original house constructed, , Snodin: 2
E. 1700s, Original house extended to the southwest. , Brickwork in Cleaners Closet suggests 3 room addition in the
early 1700s. 3-story tower containing Best Parlor, Best bedroom and
Mr. Chenevixs Library. East wallrougher brick work; oldestl prob.
original house wall. South brick
work better quality; prob. part of
the addition. Suggestion that external wall of addition housed large
external chimney stack. Reflected
on houses first and second floors
by placement of cupboards south
of off-center fireplaces. In Cloister,
position of large cupboard at east
end reflects chimney stack. Walpole may have used these extra
spaces for gardes-robes., Guillery:
103-105
1747, Walpole leases house at Strawberry Hill,
Snodin:1
1748, First alterations by William Robinson of
Office of works., Considered inadequately gothic. Robinson demoted.
Actual designing done by Committee of Taste., Snodin:1-2
1748, New outbuilding to west of house constructed to house kitchen.2-story
red brick building with two pitched
roofs aligned north-south and two
chimneys;., Building visible in
painting by watercolors and sketches from 1754-58, Guillery:109 Snodin: Strawberry Hill, 123.
1749, HW purchases house, begins alterations
to building and landscape. 1st mention of gothic battlements in September of that year., Snodin: 1

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1753-54, House rendered white to create sense

of unity, and partially raised and enlarged. Walpoles personal spaces
enlarged and concentrated in south
and east of house to take advantage of access to garden and river;
public rooms and circulation spaces pushed to NW toward road. During this period, little attention paid
to N and W facades facing the road
(North wall was blank) and service
yards., Guillery: 110-112
1754, Rooms to right of bay window (as facing
house) added; bays facing it 17534,
1758, Radical change in approach to house as
Walpole abandons attachment to
symmetry and conventional planning and embraces irregularity and
asymmetry of gothic., Guillery:115116
1758, Walpole contemplates construction of the
Great Cloister, I am again got into
the hands of builders, though this
time to a very small extent; only, the
addition of a little cloister and bedchamber. The day may come that
will produce a gallery, a round tower, a larger cloister, and a cabinet,
in the manner of a little chapelbut
I am too poor for these ambitious
designs yet, Walpole, Correspondence: 21.238-39 To Horace Mann,
Saturday 9 September 1758
1758-9, Little Cloister added to the right of the
north entrance and adjoining Pantry. Holbein Chamber added above.,
Lewis: 75.
1759, Service building with kitchen demolished,
Snodin:123
1759, Pantry added adjacent to Little Cloister,
See 1784 plans of Strawberry Hill.,
ARGN: 152

1753, Central stair inserted and main entrance

of house from road moved to west
and gothicized (entrance originally
in central bay of house)., Guillery:109-110

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1759, Walpole continues plans for Great Cloister, Long Gallery and Round Tower.,
The weather is sultry; this part of
the country never looked prettierI
hope our enemies will not have the
heart to spoil it! It would be much
disappointment to me, who am going to make great additions to my
castle; a gallery, a round tower, and
a cabinet, that is to have all the air
of a Catholic chapelbar consecration! Walpole, Correspondence:
21.306 To Horace Mann, Sunday 9
Sunday 8 July 1759
1759, John Chute submits preliminary plans for
Great Cloister. Walpole requests
slight revision of thicker buttresses.
Chute submits second design for
buttresses showing enlarged buttresses WHEN? reproduced) shows
enlarged buttresses in response to
letter. Well, how delightful How the
deuce did you contrive to get such
proportion? You will certainly have
all the women in short legs come
to you to design high-heeled shoes
for them. The cloister, instead of a
wine-cellar, has the air of a college.
It has already passed the Seals. Mr.
Muntz has commended it in a piece
of every language, and Mr .Bentley
is at this moment turning it outside
inwards.I assure you, Mr. Chute,
you shall always have my custom.
You shall design every scrap of
the ornaments; and if ever I build
a palace or found a city, I will employ nobody but you. In short, you
have found a proportion and given
asimplicity and a lightness to it,
that I never expected. I have but
one fault to find, and that is no bigger than my little finger; I think the
buttresses too slight; and yet I fear,
widening them would destroy the
beauty of the space round the windows. There is another thing which
is more than a fear, for it seems
an impossibility, that is of getting
pictures (111) over the windows
within; and if I cant, what shall I
do with spaces?, Walpole Letters
35.110-11, To John Chute, Sunday
4 November 1759, See also Note 1;
Chutes second plan in Lewis.

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1760, Walpole announced intent to build tower,

gallery, cloister and chapel., On
May 24, 1760, Walpole announced
to Horace Mnn, I am flounced
again into buildinga round tower, gallery, closter, and chapel, all
starting up. (Letters, IV, 392.) He
may also have added a oratory,
kitchen, and several larders, pantries. As early as 9/9/1758, Walpole
had written man that a day might
come that would produce a gallery,
round tower, large cloister, and
a cabinet in the manner of a little
chapel. At the time, was too poor
to execute (Letters IV, 185). Rooms
nearly doubled size of house; delayed two years in building. Was a
floor, near fire, strike of workmen,
and although the Round Tower and
Great Cloister seem to have been
completed in 1761, the Gallery
and Chapel, later called the Cabinet and still later the tribute, had
to wait until 1763. (Accounts, 109,
110)., Lewis: 76
1761, Work progresses on the Great Cloister,
Round Tower, and Cabinet., I am
expecting Mr Chute to hold a chapter on the cabineta barge load
of niches, window-frames and ribs
is arrived. The cloister is pacing,
the privy-garden making, painted
glass adjusting to the windows on
the backstairswith so many irons
in the fire, you may say I have not
much time to write., Walpole, Correspondence: 9.385, To George
Montagu, Thursday,
20 August
1761
1761, Round Tower and Great Cloister Completed., Lewis: 76
1761-71, Great Round tower completed., Snodin

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1761, Kitchen completed on ground floor of

Round Tower., Location of kitchen
made it impossible to reach dining
room without going either outside or
upstairs and through the first floor
of the house. Meant that front door
could not be locked, but rang the
bell at great north gate and admitted by footman who passed through
Little Cloister. Image of servant
with Tray suggest this.
Original 1781 plan of house suggest that stairs
existed to east of kitchen leading up
to courtyard. Perhaps entrance for
deliveries and egress for transport
of food to/from refectory at northeast end of house (see second image of servant carrying tray). Stair
area currently occupied by later
addition that today functions as
electrical closet. , Lewis: 80, Plans
1781 and 2004.
1761-1762, Oratory Completed., Oratory completed. Designed by Chute. Original
sketches in Walpoles own annotated copy of 1784 Description. Small
oratory enclosed with iron rails; in
front an altar, on which stood bronze
saint and open niches, and stone
basins for holy water. (Works, II,
400), Oratory prepared visitor for
ecclesiastical atmosphere to follow. (80), Lewis: 79-80.
1763, Long gallery wing and quatrefoil chamber
added, , Snodin: 2

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1765, Walpole covets on ancient wooden chairs

in a cloister owned by Mr. Bateman
and requests Cole to seek out similar chairs his Cloister., When you
go into Cheshire and upon your
ramble, may I trouble you with a
commission, but about which you
must promise me to go a step out
of your way. Mr Bateman has a
cloister at Old Windsor furnished
with ancient wooden chairs, most
of them triangular, but all of various
patterns and carved or turned in the
most uncouth or whimsical forms.
He picked them up one by one,
for two, three, five or six shillings
apiece from different farmhouses in
Herefordshire. I have long envied
and coveted them. There may be
such in poor cottages n so neighbouring a country as Cheshire. I
should not begrudge any expense
for purchase or carriage; and
should be glad even of a couple for
my cloister here.., Walpole, Correspondence: 1.90-91,To Rev. William Cole 9 March 1765
1775, Wooden chairs from Bateman in place
in Cloister., I have crammed my
Cloister with three cartloads of lumbering chairs from Mr. Batemans,
and am at last surfeited with the
immovable moveables of forefathers., Walpole, Correspondence:
2.245-6, To Lady Ossory, Thursday
3 August 1775
1776, Beauclerk Turret added. House is complete, Snodin: 1

1763, Gallery and Chapel, later called the Cabinet and still later the tribute, Lewis:
76.

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1784, Walpole publishes a description of the

Little Cloister, Winding Cloister,
and Great Cloister., Entering by
the great north gate, the first object that presents itself is a small
oratory inclosed with iron rails; in
front, an altar, on which stands a
saint in bronze; open niches, and
stone basons for holy water; designed by John Chute, esq; of the
Vine in Hampshire. On the right
hand is a small garden called the
abbotts garden, parted off by an
open screen, taken from the tomb
of Roger Niger, bishop of London in
old St. Pauls. Passing on the left,
by a small cloyster*, is the entrance
to the house, the narrow front of
(3) which was designed by Richard
Bentley, only son of Dr. Bentley,
the learned master of Trinity-college, Cambridge. Over the door are
three shields of Walpole, Shorter,
and Robsart. (2-3)
Twas

on

this
lofty
vases
side,
Where Chinas gayest art has dyd
The azure flowre that blow;
Demurest of the tabby kind,
The
pensice
Selima
reclind
Gazd on the lake below,

**In this cloyester are two blue and white Delft

Flower-pots; and a bas-relief head
in marble, inscrived Dia Helianora;
it is the portrait of the princess Eleanora DEste, with whom Tafddo
was in love, and who was the cause
of his misfortunes: it was sent to
Mr. Walpole from Itlay by Sir William Hamilton, minister at Naples.
On a pedestal , stands the large
blue and white china tub in which
Mr. Walpoles cat was drowned; on
a table of the pedestal is written the
first stanza of Mr. Grays beautiful
ode on that occasion.
In the winding cloysters on the right hand are
some ancient bas-reliefts; and
a brass plate with the effigies of
Ralph Walpole, bishop of Morwich
and Ely, engraven by Mintz (a
Swiss painter who lived some time
with Mr. Walpole, and a Chinese
lanthorn with scraped oyster-shells
80-81

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The Great Cloyster

At each end, a blue and white china flower-pot;
and in the middle, a fine antique
marble vase, on a pedestal with a
Greek inscription; bough at the sale
of Chase Price, esq. in 1778.
Eight very ancient Welch [sic] chairs, turned and
four stands; bought at the sale of
Mr. Richard Bateman of old Windsor., Walpole, Description: 2-3; 8081;
1790, Office wing to south west of house is completed. Designed by Essex in 1779,
Snodin: 1
1797, When Walpole died, left SH to cousin Anne
Seymour Damer with endowment of
2000/year, Crook: 1793
1810, Anne Damer transfers responsibility for
house to mother of Earl Waldegrave, Crook: 1793
1810-1835, SH enters period of decline, Crook:
1793
1815, Estate inherited by Walpoles great grandson 6th Earl Waldegrave. , Crook:
1793
1842, The Great Sale, Crook: 1793
1842-1856, Strawberry Hill is vacant, Crook:
1793
1856-1858, Lady Waldegrave re-opens Strawberry Hill, Crook: 1796
18??, Lady Waldegrave walls in and divides
Cloisters, Orleans: 40; Crook:
1796
1860-62, Castellated wall and entrance gateway
erected, Crook: 1796

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18??, LW redesigns Little Cloister and main entance court, Whole of area from gate
to front door enclosed (glazed?))
and used as extended hallway.
Floor covered in Minton tiles and
statues lined the walls. Restored
1950s by Sir Albert Richardson to
Walpole era. , Iddon:28
1860-62, Waldegrave Wing completed, Snodin:
1
1883, House passes to Baron de Sterne, who initiates another sale, Iddon: 18
1923, House purchased by Catholic Education
Council fro St. Mary;s Teacher
Training College. , Architect Sebastian Pugin Powell designed chapel, lecture rooms, and dormitory
blocks. Parts of historic building
used by students., Iddon: 18
1927, Strawberry Hillbecomes residence for Vicentian Priests, Iddon: 18
1950s, Sir Albert Richardson begins renovations on , Iddon: 18

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1959, Restoration of north entrance courtyard

Little Cloister rebuilt using single
existing bay as model. Oratory restored. Doorway into Litte cloister
opened and lancet enlarged into
a doorway by LW restored. Stone
screen rebuilt according to original
design. Waldegrave North Entrance
repaired and retained as entrance
to courtyard. Wrought iron gate replaces wooden doors. , A cloister
with three vaulted bays has been
formed on the site of the original.
The fourth bay of this original still
remains and has been used as a
model for the new work. The small
loggia or shrine beneath the Holbein bay is being repaired and the
blocked up doorway into the cloister opened. The lancet, enlarged
into a doorway by the Waldegrave
is being reformed. In the wall opposite the cloister, the recess of
the blind ground floor window was
found behind the hall plasterIn
addition to the restoration of the
buildings, a stone screen is being
constructed to stand in place of the
original. The design like Walpoles
(4) is based on Hollar s drawings
of Bishop Niger tomb illustrated
in Old St. Pauls by Dugdale.The
court, when finished, will be paved
in stone, extending from the front
entrance to the stone screen. The
paving only extends up to the site
of the old garden wall, the ground
before this and the present stone
wall being graveled. The Waldegrave stone entrance is being retained and repaired, it will form a
gateway to the courtyard, and a
wrought-iron gate replaces wood
doors.The appearance of the restored work will be as far as possible as in Walpoles time. The
only addition being rainwater pipe
which are necessary, these however designed in lead and heave
decorative hopper heads.(LWs hall
extension around the little cloister
had suffered bomb damage and
was leaking damp into Refectorys
west wall, Extension removed and
brought back exactly to its appearance in Walpoles time), OHealy:
3-4Iddon: 19

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Timeline Notes
1.

Act 1: Rococo Gothic. Walpole, Bentley and

Strawberry Hill. The Architectural Review Gothic
NumberI 98: 588, Dec. 1945, 151-154. Includes
1784 Floor Plans.

2.

Calloway, Stephen, Horace Walpole and Strawberry

Hill, The V &A Album 1, London: Templegate
Publishing in association with the Friends of
the V & A, 1982, 151-155. Crook, J. Mordaunt,
Strawberry Hill RevisitedIII, Country Life (June
14, 1973), 1793-1797

3.

Gardener, Julian,The Capocci Tabernacle in S. Maria

Maggiore, Papers of the British School at Rome
Vol. 38, 1970. 220-230.

4.

Guillery, Peter, Strawberry Hill: Building and Site (Part

One), Architectural History 38: 1995, 102-116.

5.

Iddon, John, Horace Walpoles Strawberry Hill: A

History and Guide from Walpoles Time to the
Present. Twickenham, St. Marys University
College, 1996).

6.

Lewis, W.S., The Genesis of Strawberry Hill,

Metropolitan Museum Studies Vol. 5: 1934.

7.

OHealy, J.O., Richardson & Houfe Ltd., W.1,

Restoration of Walpoles Building, Typed
Document from Richardson & House LTD.,
16 February 1959 from Rebecca Preston,
Transcriptions of Farmington Correspondence
March 2005

8.

Orleans House Gallery, Twickenham: Horace Walpole

and Strawberry Hill, 20 September-7 December
1980. London Borough Richmond upon Thames.

9.

Snodin, Michael, Strawberry Hill: Building and Site (Part

Two), Architectural History 38: 1995, 116-128.

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Abbreviations
1.

ARGN (Act 1: Rococo Gothic. Walpole, Bentley and

Strawberry Hill. The Architectural Review Gothic
NumberI 98: 588, Dec. 1945)

2.

Calloway (Calloway, Stephen, Horace Walpole and

Strawberry Hill)

3.

Gardener (Gardener, Julian,The Capocci Tabernacle in

S. Maria Maggiore)

4.

Guillery (Guillery, Strawberry Hill: Building and Site

(Part One))/ Iddon (Iddon, John, Horace
Walpoles Strawberry Hill

5.

Lewis (Lewis, W.S., The Genesis of Strawberry Hill)

6.

OHealy (OHealy, J.O., Restoration of Walpoles

Building)

7.

Orleans (Orleans House Gallery, Twickenham: Horace

Walpole and Strawberry Hill)

8.

Snodin (Snodin, Richmond Twickenham)

9.

Snodin, Strawberry Hill (Snodin, Michael, Strawberry

Hill: Building and Site (Part Two))

10. Walpole, Correspondence (Walpole, Horace XXX)

11. Walpole, Description (Walpole, Horace, A Description of
the Villa of Mr. Horace Walpol

10. Snodin, Michael, Richmond Twickenham 1981.

(Manuscript)
11. Facsimile of Walpole, Horace, A Description of the Villa
of Mr. Horace Walpole, Youngest Son of Sir Robert
Walpole Earl of Orford, at Strawberry-Hill near
Twickenham, Middlesex. (Strawberry Hill: 1784).
12. Walpole, Horace, Correspondence Vols. 1, 2, 9, 21,

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