Visiting Stowe House

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited Stowe House in 1845, here portrayed in watercolours by Joseph Nash (1809-1878), 
© Royal Collection Trust

Stowe House was built in 17th C. and enlarged in several phases throughout the 18th C, all under the ownership of the Temple family. It was sold in 1922 and became the Stowe School. In 1989. the Park and Gardens were endowed by donors and gifted to the National Trust, which continues to restore and maintain the Gardens for the public. The Stowe House Preservation Trust was established in 1997 to restore the house in collaboration with the school and the NT.  Below, Stowe House South Front.

Many of the former State Rooms have been restored and you can visit their progress on the Stowe House YouTube channel. The public is welcome to visit the state rooms of the house when they are not in use for school activities. Thus, when we toured the gardens in May 2023, we were able to see several of the amazing interiors. Please click on the small pictures for the full image. Below left, the Corinthian-pillared portico of the south facade; right, across the lake are the two lake pavilions, and in the far distant center, the Corinthian Arch, once the formal entrance to the estate. The Arch was designed in 1765 by architect Thomas Pitt, 1st Baron Camelford (1737-1793), a well-known amateur architect, a friend of the Temple family and nephew of PM Lord Chatham. 

In the words of the Wikipedia article on Stowe House, "The propensity to marry heiresses is shown by the family name being changed to Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville by the late 18th century."  Once the rooms and corridors were home to a magnificent collection of painted and sculptural masterpieces, many of which were sold long ago and now can  be found in major world museums. Today, we can enjoy a few  originals, family portraits, and reproductions. Below, mother and son: left, Anna Eliza, Duchess of Buckingham and Chandos,  painted by Sir Willliam Beechey, 1802; right, her son, the 2nd Duke, Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville (1797-1861) painted in 1830 by John Jackson (1778-1831).

Above and below, views of the Music Room, designed and painted in the Pompeian style by Vincenzo Valdrè (1740-1814), who spent a substantial part of his career on projects at Stowe House. It is beautifully ornamented and one could spend hours studying the charming images.

Above, the North Hall. Left, the elaborately restored ceiling, and right, gilded double doors flanked by portraits.   
     Below, the Marble Saloon, rebuilt in 1774 and based on the Pantheon in Rome with a coffered 17-meter dome topped by a skylight.
   The middle row shows classical statues acquired on his Grand Tour by the George Grenville, 1st Marquess of Buckingham (1753-1812): left, Meleager, hunter prince, and right, Venus, goddess of love. These are plaster casts of the originals collected for the Marble Saloon. In the Neoclassical Era, copies of ancient Greek  and Roman statues were more esteemed than works by contemporary sculptors. 

Above, Marble Saloon statues in their niches, and a reproduction of a gilded torchiere, one of several standing in between the statues. All of the photos above were taken by me or by Kristine Hughes in May 2023. Those below are from Wikipedia.
     Below, left, a closeup of one of the Medici lions on the South Front; right, the ceiling of the library, one of the rooms we were unable to see due to its use by students.      

Above, two views of the Blue Drawing Room, another spot in use by students when we visited, so we got only a brief glimpse. Recently restored, it would be a perfect setting for a wedding.
    

 Above: Stowe  House, North Front: the school, with the gardens beyond.

Coming soon, the ultimate in British Country Houses: Waddesdon Manor.