It was a bright October morning as a party of some 40 Glovers assembled for our visit to Strawberry Hill House. Any travel weariness was quickly swept away by the welcome sight of coffee and croissants served as we mingled before the start of our tour.
We were welcomed by the Director of the Strawberry Hill House Trust, Nick Dolan, who gave us an overview of the story of the house and explained that, following a great sale of the contents which lasted for 24 days in 1842, the original collection of items amassed by Horace Walpole had been long dispersed. The current exhibition “Lost Treasures of Strawberry Hill” sees some of the most important pieces of the collection reunited with the interiors in which they were always meant to be displayed. The Curators of the Exhibition took years to assemble the items, which came from very many private and public collections around the globe.
Our group then split into 2 parties, each led by one of the co-curators of the exhibition, Dr Silvia Davoli and Michael Snodin. Both groups received a truly excellent and informative tour with much to see and marvel at, including an item loaned by our very own Glove Collection Trust – a very fine pair of leather gauntlet gloves worn by James the 1st and displayed to great effect in a glass closet in the Great North Bedchamber.
Following a light lunch, we were then treated to a short talk by Michael Snodin on the life of Horace Walpole and the amazing amount of work which has gone in to the restoration of Strawberry Hill House. This was accompanied by some fascinating images of the house pre-restoration which amply illustrated the magnitude of the task taken on by the Trust when setting out to restore the building. Michael was thanked on our behalf by the Master who also presented him with a gift of a pair of gloves.
Glovers were then free to either re-enter the house or begin their journey home following a thoroughly enjoyable event.
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