Writer and collector. Youngest son of Sir Robert Walpole. His gothic novel "The Castle of Otranto"' was published in 1764. But his passion was his gothic creation, his house at Strawberry Hill, which is open to the public and well worth a visit.
His parents separated before his birth and he was brought up in Arlington Street by his much loved mother. Weak and effeminate he became an MP and used politics as an easy way to fund his life of leisure. This involved friendships with many other young men with similar aesthetic interests. His relationship with Thomas Gray was particularly jealous and difficult. He never married but did invent the word 'serendipity'.
This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Horatio ('Horace') Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford
Commemorated ati
George Pub
The George The George was founded in 1723 as a coffee house, became Georges ...
Robert & Horace Walpole
Greater London Council Sir Robert Walpole, 1676 - 1745, Prime Minister, and ...
This section lists the memorials created by the subject on this page:
Horatio ('Horace') Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford
Creations i
King of Corsica
The weather-worn stone above this plaque is, we guess, the original graveston...
Other Subjects
Charles Morgan
Playwright, novelist and critic. Born Bromley, Kent, son of the engineer Sir Charles Langbridge Morgan. Died at the house with the plaque.
Lao She
Chinese novelist and dramatist. Born Beijing as Shu Qingchun. Lao She was his pen name. Lectured at what is now SOAS 1924 - 9. During this time he discovered Dickens and began his own writing. Best...
Antonia White
Novelist. Born Eirene Adeline Botting at 22 Perham Road, West Kensington. She disliked her name and adopted her mother's maiden name. After the failure of her first marriage, she suffered a breakdo...
Walter Scott
Writer. Born Edinburgh. Extremely popular in his lifetime, worldwide. Novels include: Waverley and Ivanhoe. Poems: Lady of the Lake. Died Abbotsford, south of Edinburgh, his home since 1812. ...