Of significant note is Horace Walpole’s shell seat, which originally sat in a corner of the garden facing the river. It's said he was inspired by the 'shell mania'. This was an 18th-century phenomenon that saw a shell-collecting frenzy take hold of European collectors.

The Dutch East India Company, which dominated the market in imported spices and other products, began bringing exotic shells to European shores for the private museums of wealthy collectors. The trend became known as ‘conchylomania’, from the Latin concha meaning shell.

Walpole embarked on his Grand Tour in 1739 and no doubt got swept up in the trend. The replica seat, which sits facing the property today, has proved a popular Instagram backdrop for the garden's many visitors.

Inside Strawberry Hill House: the little Gothic castle that hosted British royalty