Strawberry Hill House

I think all I knew about Strawberry Hill was it is a London suburb and I used to hear it listed as a railway station on the tannoy at Waterloo station.
Today however, my walk took me towards Twickenham and I saw the sign for Strawberry Hill House. Wow! 
Horace Walpole, the son of Robert Walpole - Britain's first Prime Minister, bought the site in 1747 which was then on the banks of the river. (It's about 100 yards away now) He transformed the derelict cottages into this example of Gothic Revival Architecture. 
He was a writer, art historian, man of letters, antiquitarian and Whig politician. He wrote thousands of letters which covered history, manners and tastes of his age, and he consciously cultivated letter writing as an art. The letters were published in 48 volumes from 1937-1983.
The garden was open and I think I'll visit the house once it reopens.