ABSTRACT
This chapter explores Walpole's role as an antiquary and establishes how his relationship with the Society of Antiquaries affected his style of authorship and his decision to publish his own antiquarian research. Politeness assumed an ideological weight that was closely linked to Whig political discourse and the notion of liberty and freedom of expression and to Gothic architecture. There can be little doubt that these texts ignited his imagination, inspiring him to research English antiquities as he used many of these texts for his various publications and as design sources for architectural details at Strawberry Hill. The Gothic Temple at Stowe, Buckinghamshire by James Gibbs was completed and Walpole was part of this trend, beginning the process of Gothicising Strawberry Hill using archaeological sources from 1749. Walpole was among the first to promote 'Gothic Taste' in his Anecdotes of Painting and was an admirer of 'gloomth', a phrase he coined as early as 1753.
