S t o w e  G a r d e n s

T h e  T e m p l e  o f  F r i e n d s h i p

The Temple of Friendship stands at the top of the hill, on a bastion at the most southeastern point of the gardens and Bridgeman's Ha-Ha. It was built for Lord Cobham and his cronies, as a meeting house in commemoration of the visit of Frederick, Prince of Wales to Stowe, as Cobham's guest. Also, Lady Cobham already had her own "special place", The Queen's, or Lady's Temple, where she would meet with her female friends.

Lord Cobham's Temple of Friendship was constructed by James Gibbs in 1737-1739, who was responsible for most of the other buildings found in Hawkwell Field.

Inscribed Above its Tuscan portico are the date, and, "Amicitiae S", "Sacred to Friendship". However, today the building is just a ruined shell, it being totally gutted by a disastrous fire, that swept through the building at the beginning of the last century. Parts of the building destroyed in the fire had to be demolished. This gives the Temple the feeling of a "Romantic Ruin".

The basement once contained a kitchen. The main area on the ground floor was used as a large feasting and meeting room, decorated with murals again by Francesco Sleter, and several busts of marble, including Frederick, Prince of Wales, William Pitt, later to become the Earl of Chatham, and the political friends of Viscount Cobham, his "Kit-cat" club, and his like minded relatives, the "Boy Patriots".

The Temple of Friendship provided the perfect venue for Lord Cobham's meetings, with its large windows and beautiful views of the distant, Corinthian Arch to the east, the Temple's of Ancient Virtue and Venus to south, and the magnificent vista of Hawkwell field, which in its time, was used to grow Hay, as is viewed from the front portico below:

 

 

 

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