A group of Walpole family portraits and related items have been acquired for the nation through the Acceptance in Lieu scheme
(WorldNews Entertainment)

A group of 27 portraits, two funerary hatchments, a set of rosary beads, and a statuette have been acquired for the nation through the Acceptance in Lieu (`AIL`) scheme. They were offered by Robert Walpole, 10 Baron Walpole, in lieu of tax, and have been allocated to the Strawberry Hill Collection Trust. Strawberry Hill House in Twickenham was the gothic villa, or `castle`, built by Horace Walpole, author of The Castle of Otranto and son of Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister. Many of the objects acquired for the nation can be found in the catalogue of the famous 1842 Strawberry Hill Sale that lasted about a month and all but emptied the house. Several of the objects (and their...