As I said in my previous post on Strawberry Hill, things began to get more interesting for me upstairs. This stained glass alcove in the Round Room beyond the Gallery is called the Henrys window and continues the stylistic evolution of the building.
The same room contains the most expensive single item commissioned for the entire building: the Robert Adam fireplace. It cost over £2,000 at the time and was made using the scagliola technique of inlaying marble.
I love the blueness of this window in the tiny Beauclerc Closet, designed to house a series of watercolours.
The Tribune was where Walpole kept his most treasured items which could be seen through a locked grille. The filigree heart motif is in memory of Walpole’s much-loved mother.
A star-shaped lunette diffuses golden light into the space.
We were privileged to peek into an extension not normally open to the public, so I took a couple of shots from the doorway.
Designed and built by Lady Waldegrave in the mid-1800s when she saved Strawberry Hill from ruin. The style, though obviously different, maintains the spirit of older parts of the building and is now used for events by St. Mary’s University.
