Stowe Landscape Gardens

(best viewed full screen F11)

Introduction

Stowe Landscape Gardens is perhaps one of the most important Landscaped Gardens in Britain. Throughout the 18th century, the Temple and Grenville Families, employed the services of many of the leading artists and architects, designers, landscape gardeners, and sculptors of the period. They created an idealized classical landscape, around the vast grounds of Stowe House.

The gardens are extensively furnished with Arches, Columns, Eye catchers, Monuments, Obelisks and Temples of different styles. Lancelot "Capability" Brown was appointed head gardener, and, with his skills he created vistas to truly recreate an idealistic landscape.

Charles Bridgeman, William Kent, James Gibbs, and Sir John Vanbrugh, were all employed by The Temple and Grenville families, to add exquisite buildings and several delightful Temples, to the landscaped gardens of Brown.

It is no surprise that visitors to Stowe, still echo the proud and punning motto of the Temple Family: "Templa quam dilecta. How beautiful are thy Temples!"

The Temple and Grenville Families

The Temple family, acquired the Stowe estate in 1593. They were strong supporters of Parliament during the Civil War and were firm believers in the Whig cause, which is claimed to have established constitutional monarchy in Britain. The 18th century saw three owners who transformed the gardens of Stowe. They were Sir Richard Temple, later to become (Viscount Cobham), Richard Grenville (Earl Temple), and the Marquess of Buckingham.

Richard Temple was born in 1675 and he was a fine soldier, ambitious and outspoken, he was known as the "greatest Whig in the army", serving under the Duke of Marlborough. He married Anne Halsey of Buckinghamshire in 1715, the very rich heiress of a London brewer, and Richard dedicated his retirement, redeveloping the gardens at Stowe.

Now titled Baron Cobham, he employed the Royal gardener Charles Bridgeman, and the architect Sir John Vanbrugh, to extend the gardens and the surrounding countryside. Charles Bridgeman created the famous Ha-Ha, the walled ditch that runs around the entire circumference of the gardens.

The Elysian Fields, the Hawkwell Field and finally the Grecian Valley were also created. Lancelot "Capability Brown" had been appointed head gardener in 1741, and he had spent the next 10 years supervising the improvements to Stowe's vast gardens.

Cobham employed the services of William Kent and James Gibbs, to create many monuments and Temples to fill his expanding, idealistic landscape. He had many literary friends including Alexander Pope, and William Congreve. His social life revolved around the "Kit-cat" club, where he and his many friends would meet of an evening to discuss politics, drink, and to eat, many a mutton pie.

Lord Cobham died in 1749 and Stowe was passed on to his nephew Earl Temple. He employed many foreign artists and designers to alter the monuments around the gardens. The Earl created the incredible South Front, as well as many new works in the gardens, that celebrated the victory over the French in the seven year war, (1763) and, to the expanding British Empire, under his brother-in-law's Government, William Pitt the Elder.

After the Earl's death in 1779, Stowe passed on to George Grenville, a nephew and a politician. He was made the Marquess of Buckingham and died in 1813.

The 19th century saw the 1st Duke of Buckingham, George Grenville's son, and later, the 2nd Duke of Buckingham add yet more to, and extend the estate further. However in 1848, the 2nd Duke, who was a notorious spendthrift, amassed incredible debts, forcing a major decline in the family fortunes and certain bankruptcy. This disaster was narrowly prevented, from a huge sale of the entire contents of Stowe House, and most of the land from the surrounding estate! However, The estate did remain in the family until 1921, when another great sale took place and saw many of the statues disappear from the Gardens. The house and the garden became property of a new public school, and the gardens were transferred over to the National trust in 1989.

Visiting:-

Stowe Gardens is a must Visit for anyone interested in the subject of Follies, Garden Buildings, Monuments and Temples, along with Stourhead Gardens in Wiltshire, also looked after by the National Trust.

A visit to Stowe Gardens will certainly delight and enchant the visitor. It is a very enjoyable day out indeed, particularly in the Spring and Summer months.

The Gardens, and the magnificent Stowe House, on certain days, are open all year round, Consult the National Trust Stowe Gardens Web site for admission details.

Garden trail.

You can follow a "trail" or virtual tour, around the park, viewing all 37 of the garden buildings, in the order that I first visited them, on my 2 tours of Stowe Gardens, in the late Summer of 2006, and returning again in the Spring of 2007. I have attempted to present the details of the buildings in a not too exhausting fashion, but hopefully in a lighthearted, and informative manner, taking in many of the breathtaking views and vistas of the Park on the way. The approximate duration of the garden trail is 45-60 minutes.

I did not include Stowe Sham Castle, shown here, a mile or so to the east of the Ha-Ha in the trail, as I deemed it not to be part of the Gardens. It is a massive screen, with battlements and turrets, articulated on 5 square towers. It forms the back of a farmhouse, and it was one of Lord Cobham's last buildings, built in the late 1740's. It is fine example of a distant Eye catcher folly.

For those who know what they are interested in learning about, I have also included the thumbnail listings of the garden buildings and an interactive map. (The private, School buildings adjacent to the house, are omitted).