Horace Walpole

Horace Walpole (1717-1797), the youngest scion of Britain's first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, was educated at Eton College and later King's College, Cambridge, where he formed a lifelong friendship with poet Thomas Gray. In his youth he embarked on a Grand Tour of Europe, which inflamed his ardour for art, history, and mediaeval architecture. The transformation of his home, Strawberry Hill, into a whimsical Gothic mansion replete with curiosities was the consummation of his antiquarian passions. Though oftentimes withdrawing from public life, he was a vigilant observer and remained engaged with the vibrant social and intellectual circles of his time, including the likes of Horace Mann. His vast epistolary legacy thus provides a vivid tableau of Georgian society, revealing his trenchant wit, caustic humour, and political acuity.