English Students Visit Horace Walpole’s Little Gothic Castle

On 23 November, Year 12 and 13 English students visited Horace Walpole’s Strawberry Hill House for a spectacular twilight gothic tour.

The students were given a tour of the ‘little gothic castle’ by a member of the education team who showed them around the famous gothic house built by the author of The Castle of Otranto, as well as a chance to ask questions about the writer and this genre of fiction.

Speaking about her experience, Bella in Year 12 said:

“The Strawberry Hill House trip was one of a kind and is definitely one of my favourite trips I have been on so far at Alleyn’s. Going to the house where the first gothic novel was written “The Castle of Otranto” by Horace Walpole, took my knowledge of the gothic genre to a whole new level and made me truly understand the inspiration that Horace took from the house to write his gothic masterpiece that would inspire a generation of gothic writers to come, including the novel we are studying at the moment “Dracula” by Bram Stolker.

“My absolute favourite part of the tour was the library room which reminded me of Beauty and The Beast. The perfect symmetry of the arches and the sheer beauty of the room distracted us from the fact that there was no clear exit, truly giving the full gothic experience. I would definitely recommend taking the trip to Strawberry Hill House whether you are taking English or not, it is truly a unique experience and one to tick off the bucket list.”