Gothic castle Strawberry Hill reopens after £9m restoration

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Strawberry Hill, in Twickenham, was the mad and magnificent creation of writer and collector Horace Walpole, son of Britain's first prime minister, Sir Robert.

When Walpole created the house in the 1790s as his summer villa, it sparked a renewed fashion for Gothic architecture, inspiring buildings such as the Houses of Parliament.

But by 1991, it was placed on English Heritage's At Risk register. In 2004, the World Monuments Fund listed it as one of the world's most important 100 buildings under threat.

A band of supporters launched a campaign to save it and restoration work began two years ago with grants from the WMF, the Heritage Lottery Fund and others. The building will reopen to the public on October 2.

Anna Chalcraft, one of the site's supporters, said: "It is as though the house has awoken from a long and troubled sleep."