Horace Walpole

Overview:

  • Legal Name: Walpole, Horatio
  • Place of Birth: Arlington Street, Westminster, Middlesex, England, Kingdom of Great Britain
  • Date of Birth: September 24, 1717
  • Date of Death: March 2, 1797

Notes:

Horace Walpole was the 4th Earl of Orford, son of Sir Robert Walpole, Prime Minister of England. He served in Parliament until 1768, but his main interest was his villa in Twickenham, which he acquired in 1747. Walpole spent decades transforming his home into a pseudo-Gothic showplace, commonly called Strawberry Hill (yes, the same Strawberry Hill referred to by the Beatles). In 1761, a revised edition of Gothic architect Giovanni Piranesi's Carceri d'Invenzione was published, which inspired Walpole to write The Castle of Otranto. Walpole is more remembered for his voluminous correspondence, particularly to Horace Mann; 42 volumes of his letters were published between 1937 and 1980.

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