Strawberry Hill is an area of the

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in south-west Greater London, London, England, forms part of Outer London and is the only London boroughs, London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller ...

Twickenham Twickenham ( ) is a suburban district of London, England, on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historic counties of England, Historically in Middlesex, since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, who ...

. It is a suburban development situated 10.4 miles (16.7 km) west south-west of

Charing Cross Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Since the early 19th century, Charing Cross has been the notional "centre of London" and became the point from which distances from London are measured. ...

. It consists of a number of residential roads centred on a small development of shops, including a pharmacy, post office, off licence, hairdressing salon and grocery store. Residents are served by Strawberry Hill railway station, where trains run to London Waterloo from both platforms – via Kingston and Richmond respectively. The area's ACORN demographic type is characterised as well-off professionals, larger houses, and converted flats.

St Mary's University, Twickenham St Mary's University, Twickenham is a public university in Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its stated commitment is to the mission of the Catholic Church in higher education. History Originally foun ...

, the country's oldest Roman Catholic University, is situated on Waldegrave Road. Its sports grounds were used as a training site for the

2012 Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. The folk-rock band the

Strawbs The Strawbs are an English rock band founded in 1964 as the Strawberry Hill Boys. The band started out as a bluegrass group, but eventually moved on to other styles such as folk rock and progressive rock. They are best known for their hi ...

were originally called the Strawberry Hill Boys. The founding members were students at St. Mary's University, Twickenham, then St. Mary's Teacher Training College, Strawberry Hill and, because they were in their initial incarnation playing bluegrass, thought it apt to have 'hill' in the band name.

Strawberry Hill House & Garden

The eighteenth-century development is named after "Strawberry Hill", the fanciful

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...

Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (; 24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English Whig politician, writer, historian and antiquarian. He had Strawberry Hill House built in Twickenham, southwest London ...

between 1749 and 1776. It began as a small 17th century house "little more than a cottage", with only of land and ended up as a "little Gothic castle" in . The original owner had named the house "Chopped Straw Hall", but Walpole wanted it to be called something more distinctive and after finding an old lease that described his land as "Strawberry Hill Shot", he adopted this name.Calloway, Stephen, Snodin, Michael, and Wainwright, Clive, ''Horace Walpole and Strawberry Hill'', Orleans House Gallery, Richmond upon Thames, 1980. pp. 7–22 Warburton, Eliot. ''Memoirs of Horace Walpole and His Contemporaries''. Henry Colburn. London. 1851. pp. 11–28 After a £9 million, two year restoration, Strawberry Hill House re-opened to the public in October 2010. It housed famous eighteenth-century literary figures such as Alexander Pope and Horace Walpole.

Other attractions

Other local attractions include: *

Radnor Gardens Radnor Gardens is a small public riverside garden and recreation ground in Strawberry Hill, south of Twickenham in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, offering picturesque views. It has a First World War memorial, a grass area, a bowlin ...

* Strawberry Hill railway station, built in 1873, is an example of the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

railway building boom. * Strawberry Hill Golf Course, opened in 1900 and designed by 5-time Open champion, JH Taylor

Education

References

Notes

*Jones, E. and Woodward, C. ''A Guide to the Architecture of London'', 1983, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London

External links

The Strawberry Hill Residents' Association
{{authority control Areas of London Districts of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Twickenham