This Halloween, Strawberry Hill House will transform into a stage for the Gothic imagination, returning to the eerie atmosphere that inspired Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto, the world's first Gothic novel.

From 25 October to 2 November 2025, visitors can explore Walpole's "little Gothic castle" as it was conceived in 1764, when he famously dreamt of a giant armoured hand on a staircase and awoke to pen the tale that would set the blueprint for every haunted castle story to follow.

Walpole even coined the word "gloomth" to describe the sublime mix of shadow and warmth he created at Strawberry Hill.

As he once remarked: "With a Gothic house, all you need to bring is your imagination, and the House will do the rest."

During the Halloween season, shutters will be drawn and every room will be lit by flickering candlelight, as unsettling stories echo through the halls.

Flower Festival exhibit by Amy Belle returning for Halloween (credit: Lucy Spiers).

Visitors will be able to wander at their own pace, encountering some of the house's most eerie objects, including the chair of Sir Peter Warburton, a judge who signed Guy Fawkes's death warrant and the silver-eyed bust of Emperor Caligula, whose chilling gaze has unsettled generations.

Adding to the atmosphere, the Flower Festival Team, with guest curator Gaia Eros, will create botanical displays that entwine ghostly beauty with the house's Gothic architecture.

Two half-human, half-forest figures will also appear in the Hall, as though conjured from shadow by the building itself.

Families can take part in a Halloween Garden Trail, where riddle-laden signs and clues guide children around the grounds. From clawing hands to whispering voices, the trail promises playful frights, ending with a sweet treat at the Garden Café for every completed map — a perfect half-term activity.

Strawberry Hill House & Garden has been open to visitors for over 250 years (credit: Matt Chung).

On 31 October, a special after-dark experience will debut. Strawberry Hill After Dark will invite brave visitors to explore the house in shadow, where Gothic vaults, long corridors and historic objects evoke tales of tragedy and apparitions.

Guests can steady their nerves with a glass of fizz or a seasonal "moonlit elixir" as Walpole's vision unfolds around them.

Strawberry Hill is celebrated as a masterpiece of Gothic architecture, with its battlements, traceried windows and fan-vaulted ceilings inspired by medieval tombs and abbeys.

To find out more about Strawberry Hill House click here.

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