Strawberry Hill says thanks to supporters

7:39am Friday 29th October 2004

THE appearance of Strawberry Hill on BBC2's Restoration programme was a "terrific drama" bringing invaluable publicity to the ailing 18th century house and generating increased donations, the chairman of Strawberry's Friends has declared.

It was thought that viewers were misled by the picturesque exterior when Horace Walpole's little Gothick castle' in Waldegrave Road, Twickenham, was pipped at the post of the regional final in July by the archbishop's palace in Charing, Kent, so losing the chance of coveted lottery cash.

In fact, the interior of the house created by the son of prime minister Robert Walpole and part of St Mary's University College, requires substantial refurbishment running into millions and is listed by the World Monuments Fund as amongst the 100 most endangered sites.

"We polled 32 per cent of the vote and at one point we were in the lead," said chairman Michael Snodin. "Out of 83,000 votes, we were 3,000 off the winner. I imagine that at the beginning of 2004, no one had heard of Strawberry and now they have."

He said that the media attention had "launched the Great Strawberry Hill Campaign" and brought in £10,000 worth of additional donations via gifts ranging from £10 to £1,500.

Addressing supporters including Twickenham MP Vincent Cable and council leader Tony Arbour, Mr Snodin said that the Strawberry Hill Trust is now preparing applications for more than £10 million from lottery and other sources.

Mr Snodin, who is a senior curator at the Victoria & Albert Museum, went on to say that work on shutters is being carried out by students from the London Metropolitan University. "This is good because Strawberry Hill must be more than an historic house; it must link with educational and other institutions in the future.

"The Restoration programme doesn't let you go either," he went on. "They want to know what happens next for follow up programmes and the link with London Metropolitan students is exactly what we want to show the cameras."

He had an extensive list of people to credit, starting with the Richmond and Twickenham TImes, "who adopted the house as its own".

"I would also like to thank all of Twickenham and beyond for supporting Strawberry. The alumni of Strawberry absolutely chipped in and St Mary's College, who are our partners, did fantastic work with former students who voted all over the UK."

The RFU were "very generous" with donations and this party, held in the panelled members' lounge at the RFU, while Richmond upon Thames Council "was right behind us. We are grateful and continue to work together, for instance in signage. People know where Orleans House is, but they don't know where to find Strawberry Hill," he remarked, going on to acknowledge the "huge" contribution of a Twickenham Festival raffle.

The chairman's warmest words were reserved for Judith Lovelace, events secretary for the Friends who is involved in myriad other facets of Twickenham life. "She is the person on whom the Friends rely almost totally for fundraising and consciousness. As someone who comes from Kew, I am amazed at the local links forged by Judith and I am enormously grateful."

Earlier, the mayor, Cllr Pat Parsons pledged her ongoing commitment, saying: "I watched and I pressed that button and any support I can give at any event, you have just got to ask me."

Mr Snodin brought his speech to an end with a plea for continued fundraising, "This is where I get on my knees and say we need you." With a glance back to the Olympics, he counselled steady campaigning for best results, "as they say in the marathon, don't run too fast or you may not finish".