This Halloween, Strawberry Hill House transforms into the stage of Horace Walpole's darkest imaginings. Here, in his "little Gothic castle," the Gothic was born: one night in 1764 Walpole dreamt of a giant armoured hand on a staircase and awoke to write The Castle of Otranto — the world's first Gothic novel.

Walpole even coined a word, "gloomth," to capture the sublime mix of shadow and warmth he cultivated here. As he said: "with a Gothic house, all you need to bring is your imagination, and the House will do the rest!"

From 25 October to 2 November 2025, the house will return to that very atmosphere: shutters drawn, rooms alive with flickering candlelight, and ghostly treasures revealed.

Building on the success of our Flower Festival, guest curator Gaia Eros will transform Strawberry Hill's interiors with botanical installations in darker, uncanny forms — from spectral figures fashioned from nature's remnants to shadowy arrangements that entwine Walpole's Gothic stage set.

Listings Information:

Strawberry Hill After Dark – Halloween Candlelit Late

31 Oct, from 6pm

On Halloween night, the castle takes on its most uncanny guise. Wander candlelit rooms, steady your nerves with a seasonal Moonlit Elixir, and sense historic objects whispering of treachery, tragedy and ghostly apparitions.

Tickets: Adult £25 | Student £17.50 (advance booking required).

Halloween Garden Trail

25 Oct–2 Nov, 9am–4pm Garden Entry is Free

Family-friendly trail of rhymes and riddles through the gardens, with clawing hands, warning whispers and mischievous spirits along the way. Each completed trail map is rewarded with a sweet treat from the Garden Café.

Tickets: £2 per trail map.

Halloween at Horace Walpole's Gothic Castle

25 Oct–2 Nov, 11am–4pm daily with general admission

Explore Strawberry Hill at its most atmospheric, with Walpole's "gloomth" restored and botanical artistry entwining its Gothic interiors.