Stowe House facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stowe House
The south front of the house by Robert Adam
General information
Architectural style	English Baroque, Palladian, Neoclassical
Town or city	Buckingham, Buckinghamshire
Country	United Kingdom
Coordinates	52°01′55″N 1°01′03″W / 52.031963°N 1.017560°W / 52.031963; -1.017560
Construction started	1677–1683 1720–1733 1740–1760 1770–1779
Design and construction
Architect	John Vanbrugh James Gibbs William Kent Giacomo Leoni Giovanni Battista Borra Robert Adam Vincenzo Valdrè John Soane Edward Blore
Listed Building – Grade I
Official name: Stowe: The Mansion with Attached Service Ranges
Designated:	25 September 1951
Reference #:	1289788
National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
Designated:	30 August 1987
Reference #:	1000198

Stowe House is a huge country house in Stowe, England. It's a very important historic building, given a special "Grade I listed" status. Today, it's home to the private Stowe School. The Stowe House Preservation Trust owns the house and works hard to restore and keep it in great condition. You can visit Stowe House regularly to see its amazing rooms.

The beautiful gardens, known as Stowe Gardens, are famous examples of the English garden style. In 1989, the gardens and most of the park became owned by the National Trust. If you're a National Trust member, you can visit the gardens for free. There's a small fee to enter the house, which helps pay for its restoration. The gardens and park are also listed as Grade I, showing how special they are. In 2020/21, over 213,000 people visited the gardens and park.

The Story of Stowe House

Stowe started as a small village with a church in the Middle Ages. Around 1330, a monastery called Osney Abbey had a manor house here. They kept Stowe until 1539, when the King took over their lands during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

Later, Sir George Gifford owned Stowe. His son, Thomas Gifford, inherited it. In 1571, Peter Temple leased the Stowe estate, and his son, John Temple, bought it in 1589. This is how Stowe became the home of the important Temple family. They made their money from sheep farming. In the late 1600s, Sir Sir Richard Temple, 3rd Baronet, completely rebuilt the house on the same spot. This new building is the main part of the grand mansion you see today.

Exploring the House

How the House Grew Over Time

Stowe House was built and changed in four main stages.

• 1677-1683: Sir Richard Temple hired William Cleare to build the main part of the house. It had four floors and was quite long. Cleare had worked with famous architect Christopher Wren.
• 1720s-1733: Under Viscount Cobham, the house got bigger. John Vanbrugh added the grand North Portico, and the north, east, and west sides were rebuilt. After Vanbrugh passed away, William Kent continued the work.
• 1740s-1760: Viscount Cobham also expanded the fancy western and eastern rooms.
• 1770-1779: Earl Temple wanted a new south side for the house. Robert Adam designed it, and it was finished in 1779. The inside of these new rooms, called "state apartments," were completed by 1788, mostly by an Italian artist named Vincenzo Valdrè.

At the same time, the North Front was changed one last time. Two curved rows of columns were added on either side of the entrance. These might have been designed by Robert Adam. The ends of these columns connect to walls with gateways by William Kent. These gateways used to lead to the gardens but now go to school buildings.

The outside of the house hasn't changed much since 1779. In the early 1800s, the Egyptian Hall was added as a second entrance under the North Portico.

The Stunning South Side

The most impressive part of Stowe House is its south side, which faces the gardens. It's a fantastic example of neoclassical architecture in Britain. This front is over 460 feet (140 meters) long! It has a large central section, two lower connecting parts, and two taller sections at the ends.

The central part and end sections have tall, decorative columns. In the middle, there's a portico with a triangular top. Below this, a covered walkway leads to the Marble Saloon. There are large statues and carvings, including a detailed frieze (a decorative band) based on ancient Greek designs.

A wide staircase with 33 steps leads down to the South Lawn. At the bottom of the stairs are two lion statues, called Medici lions. These are the original statues from the 1700s! They were sold in 1921 but brought back in 2013 in a special exchange. The facade also has many windows with carvings of the four seasons and sacrificial scenes.

The ground floor is shorter and looks like a strong base for the house. In 1790, a decorative railing with 30 pedestals was added in front of the house. These pedestals used to hold bronze urns, which were replaced with copies in 2013. This railing probably helped keep visitors from getting too close to the lower windows.

The Stowe Library

In 1793, George, 1st Marquess of Buckingham, turned a long gallery into The Large Library. Later, in the early 1800s, the Gothic Library was created on the ground floor. This room was designed by Sir John Soane and is a rare example of him using the Gothic style.

In 1834, Richard, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, inherited an amazing collection of books and manuscripts from his uncle, Lord Grenville. The Times newspaper even said it was "the most perfect collection in this country."

However, the 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos faced serious money problems in 1847. Much of the valuable library collection had to be sold. This library was so important that many famous manuscripts, like the Stowe Psalter and the "Stowe manuscripts", are known by its name.

Inside the Grand Rooms

Many owners of Stowe went on a "Grand Tour" of Europe, especially Italy. They bought many artworks that decorated the house. The main rooms are mostly on the first floor, called the Piano nobile (meaning "noble floor").

During sales in 1921 and 1922, all the remaining furniture and art were sold. Some family portraits and items have since been bought back and are now displayed in the house.

The North Hall

This is the main entrance hall, located behind the north portico. It's one of the oldest rooms, dating from the 1730s. The ceiling was painted by William Kent to look like a mosaic with gold and grey colors. It shows six classical gods and goddesses, like Mercury and Jupiter, and signs of the zodiac.

On the south wall, large doors lead to The Marble Saloon. On either side are portraits of the first Duke and Duchess of Buckingham & Chandos. The west wall has a white marble carving by Thomas Banks showing Caractacus before the Emperor Claudius. The east wall has a white marble carving by Christophe Veyrier showing The family of Darius before Alexander the Great. Many valuable artworks from this room were sold in 1848, including a portrait by Anthony van Dyck and two marble vases.

The Marble Saloon

This is the most magnificent room in the house, located right behind the south portico. It was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. It's oval-shaped, about 63 by 45 feet (19 by 14 meters), and its domed ceiling is over 56 feet (17 meters) high! The room was likely designed by Vincenzo Valdrè and finished around 1788.

The lower walls have 16 red columns that look like Sicilian Jasper, with white marble tops and bases. These columns support a detailed white plaster decoration. Between the columns, there are replica brass lanterns. The columns also frame four doors and plain niches. These niches used to hold eight ancient Roman statues, which were sold in 1848. In 2009, new plaster copies of statues were added.

Above the columns is a very detailed frieze (a band of sculpture) with over 280 human and 14 animal figures. The dome is made of white plaster with 160 unique, decorated sections. There's an oval skylight in the center. The floor is made of large white Carrara marble slabs. This room is the first to be fully restored to how it looked before 1848.

The State Music Room

This room, east of The Marble Saloon, is about 30 by 40 feet (9 by 12 meters). It was probably designed by Valdrè and finished in the early 1780s. It has a curved section in the middle of the north wall. The walls are painted with decorative panels. The fireplace on the east wall is made of white marble with red marble details and carvings of musical instruments. This fireplace was sold in 1922 but bought back in 1991.

The plaster ceiling has gilded decorations and seven paintings. The central painting shows The Dance of the Hours and is surrounded by paintings of the four seasons and landscapes. All these paintings are thought to be by Valdrè. The central chandelier is a new copy of the original one. An ancient Roman statue called the Marine Venus used to be here, but it was sold to Queen Victoria in 1848 and is now at Osborne House. A bust of William Pitt the Elder is now in its place.

The Large Library

This is one of three libraries in the house, measuring 75 by 25 feet (23 by 7.6 meters). It was created in 1793 from a former gallery. The plaster ceiling is very detailed. There are fireplaces at each end of the room, made of white marble with figures supporting them.

The bookcases are made of mahogany and have over 500 shelves on the lower walls, with glass doors. The walls are completely covered by shelves, even between the seven windows on the south side. The upper shelves, about 240 of them, are reached by a gallery that runs around the room. Over 20,000 books from these shelves, mostly collected by the 1st Marquess of Buckingham, were sold in 1849. Some marble busts that were sold from the house in 1921 have been bought back and returned to their original spots in the windows.

The State Drawing Room

Also called The Temple Room, this room is west of The Marble Saloon and is about 30 by 40 feet (9 by 12 meters). The plaster ceiling was probably designed by Valdrè and decorated in a classical style. The original marble fireplace was sold in 1922 and is now in Spain.

The walls used to be covered with red fabric and displayed the finest paintings from the collection. In 1838, there were 52 paintings, including famous works by Rubens, Nicolas Poussin, and Murillo. Many of these were acquired from the sale of the Orleans Collection. The room also displayed beautiful Sèvres porcelain and furniture from the Doge's Palace. All these valuable items were sold in 1848.

The State Dining Room

The State Dining Room is 75 by 25 feet (23 by 7.6 meters) and is west of The State Drawing Room. It was created in the 1740s. The Stowe House Preservation Trust is currently raising money to restore this room. It was originally called The State Gallery until 1817.

The ceiling has detailed plasterwork and paintings from 1747 by Francesco Sleter. These paintings show scenes like Hebe feeding Jupiter's Eagle and Diana and her Hounds. There are also three large octagonal paintings in the center of the ceiling, likely from the early 1800s, showing scenes with Venus. The two fireplaces on the north wall are from the 1920s; the originals were sold in 1922.

The walls used to be hung with five large tapestries from Brussels, showing triumphs of classical gods and goddesses. These were sold in 1921. The dining table, when fully extended, was 65 feet (20 meters) long! Today, the walls display portraits of people connected to the house and family.

The Small Tapestry Dining Room

Also known as The Snug, this room is west of The State Dining Room. It dates from the late 1750s, but not much of its original decoration remains. The marble fireplace and its carved wooden overmantel were sold in 1922. The four tapestries, which showed "Arts of War" scenes, were sold in 1921. The ceiling was destroyed in 1935 when the western part of the house was rebuilt due to structural issues.

The Garter Room

This room, also called "The Servery," was once the State Bedroom. It's west of The Small Tapestry Dining Room. Designed in 1755, none of its original decoration survived the 1935 reconstruction. There's a new version of the original plaster ceiling, which has the Garter symbol in the middle.

A very important painting, Marquess of Granby by Joshua Reynolds, used to hang here. It's now in the National Army Museum. The magnificent state bed, almost 15 feet (4.6 meters) tall, is now in the Lady Lever Art Gallery. Two fancy carved chests from this room are now in the Wallace Collection.

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  The Marquess of Granby, by Joshua Reynolds.

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  William Shakespeare, the Chandos portrait.

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  Bartolomeo Bianchini, by Francesco Raibolini.

The Blue Room

The Blue Room is east of the Large Library and was used as a small drawing room. Until 1849, it was called the Print Room and had bookshelves filled with an enormous collection of prints. Over 55,000 prints were sold in 1834! After this, the bookshelves were removed, and the walls were covered with blue silk, giving the room its current name.

The plaster ceiling, from 1774-1775, is decorated with symbols of Bacchus. The crystal chandelier and fireplace are modern replacements. The room displays pieces from the 'Stowe Service', a special porcelain set made by the Worcester Porcelain Factory in 1813. Many pieces of this service were sold in 1848 and 1921, but some have been bought back. Several family portraits, also bought back, are displayed here.

The Breakfast Parlour

Now called the Chandos Sigma Dormitory, this room is east of the Blue Room and dates from 1773-1775. It's a simpler room. The ceiling is curved and has a circular painting of Venus blindfolding Cupid. The marble fireplace was sold in 1922. This room once held 39 paintings, including Virgin and Child with SS John the Baptist and Catherine by Andrea Previtali, now in the National Gallery, London.

The Rembrandt Room

Now called the Chandos Delta Dormitory, this room is east of the Breakfast Parlour. It was originally from 1748 but was extended and redecorated in 1775. The room once contained eleven paintings thought to be by Rembrandt, though only three are now confirmed as his. All these paintings were sold in 1848. They included Bellona (now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art) and The Centurion Cornelius (now in the Wallace Collection).

Other items from this room, now in the Wallace Collection, include a tall astronomical clock from the Palace of Versailles and a fancy cabinet. It was in this room that Queen Victoria and her husband slept during their visit in 1845. The room was specially redecorated for them, including a huge Persian carpet. The 2nd Duke spent a lot of money on this visit!

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  Rembrandt van Rijn, Self portrait.

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  Rembrandt van Rijn, The Centurion Cornelius.

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  School of Rembrandt, Eleazar Swalmius.

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  Govaert Flinck, A Young Archer.

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  Rembrandt's Bellona.

The Chapel

Located behind the Eastern Pavilion, the Chapel was built between 1742 and 1748 and originally had two floors. In 1929, it was divided into two floors for the new school chapel, and all its wooden panels were reused. Only the plaster ceiling decoration remains. The elaborate carved wood panels were made of cedarwood and came from another house also called Stowe.

The Gothic Library

This room is on the ground floor, beneath the Large Library. It was created in 1805 and was the last major room added to the house. It was designed by Sir John Soane in a Gothic style. The plaster ceiling looks like a shallow fan vault. The center of the ceiling has a circular panel with 726 painted coats of arms of the families the Marquess was related to.

The wooden bookshelves have glass and bronze doors, inspired by the bronze screen around Henry VII's tomb in Westminster Abbey. This room used to hold many valuable manuscripts, including 1085 Saxon and Irish ones. These are now in the British Library or Royal Irish Academy, including the famous Stowe Missal. The room was furnished with dark wood tables and chairs inlaid with ivory.

The Egyptian Hall

Created around 1803, the Egyptian Hall is beneath the North Hall. It was designed as a winter entrance, connected to a covered area where carriages could drop off passengers. The room is decorated in the Egyptian style, with sloping walls and a vaulted ceiling. It used to have a heating stove shaped like a carved sarcophagus.

The ceiling's decorative band shows symbols like a winged sun disk (for the god Ra), and Ankh, the symbol of life. Seven paintings of Egyptian figures and hieroglyphics and two Sphinx sculptures were sold in 1922. The designer isn't known for sure, but the 1st Marquess might have had the idea. In 2012, all the missing decorations and sculptures were recreated, bringing the room back to its original look.

The East Corridor and Grand Staircase

Dating from the 1730s, this corridor connects the North Hall to the Ante-Library. The stone staircase at the east end has a fancy iron railing. The ceiling above the staircase is painted with Fame and Victory by Francesco Sleter. Wall paintings by the same artist were thought to be lost, but in 2016, it was discovered they are mostly still there under later paint!

The corridor walls now display portraits of former headmasters of the school. This area used to hold many paintings, including a portrait of John, Duke of Marlborough by Godfrey Kneller, and paintings by Henry Fuseli based on Shakespeare. Eleven ancient Greek vases and a Roman sarcophagus were also originally here but were sold in 1848.

The Ante-Library

This wide corridor, about 50 feet (15 meters) long, is north of the Large Library and was created in 1805. It has a plain ceiling and walls. The fireplace on the east wall is a replacement for the original marble one sold in 1922. The main feature of the room is its eight columns that look like green marble. In 1838, this room displayed 52 family portraits.

The Stucco Corridor and West Staircase

You can reach this area from the south-west door in the North Hall. The Stucco Corridor has a plaster vaulted ceiling. The stone West staircase has an iron railing and dates from the 1730s. James Gibbs is thought to have designed it.

Other Rooms in the House

Stowe House has over 400 rooms! Many smaller rooms on the main floor, though simply decorated, once held important paintings. These included works by Frans Hals, Orazio Gentileschi, and Claude Joseph Vernet. Giovanni Battista Lusieri's large watercolor A View of Naples was in the house until 1985. John Martin's The Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum was also here.

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  Aert de Gelder’s The Temple Entrance.

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  Giovanni Battista Lusieri’s A View of Naples.

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  Claude Joseph Vernet’s Rocky Coast in a Storm.

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  Orazio Gentileschi’s Rest on the Flight into Egypt.

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  Frans Hals’ "Portrait of a Woman".

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  Jan Brueghel the Elder’s River landscape.

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  Carlo Dolci’s Mater Dolorosa.

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  Jacob van Ruisdael’s A wooded river landscape.

The ground floor rooms to the east of the Gothic Library were used as private family rooms, like the Billiard room and Sitting room. The rest of the ground floor was for the servants. The house also has long wings that extend from the main building. These wings included the riding school, coach house, and stables (designed by Vanbrugh) on the east side. The west side had the kitchen (still used by the school), laundry, dairy, and a long orangery (also by Vanbrugh).

Architects and Artists of Stowe

Many famous architects, garden designers, and artists worked on Stowe House and its gardens over the centuries.

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  Sir John Vanbrugh, architect (1720-1726).

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  James Gibbs, architect (1726-1749).

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  William Kent, architect, painter, garden designer (1731-1748).

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  Charles Bridgeman, garden designer (1711-1733).

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  Peter Scheemakers, sculptor.

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  John Michael Rysbrack, sculptor.

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  Lancelot 'Capability' Brown, garden designer (1741-1751).

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  Robert Adam, architect (1770-1771).

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  Sir John Soane, architect (1805-1807).

The Gardens and Park

The gardens and parkland at Stowe are considered an "outstanding monument to English landscape gardening." They are Grade I listed, meaning they are very important. The Temple and Grenville families developed these gardens over many generations.

From the 1710s to the 1740s, top garden designers like Charles Bridgeman, James Gibbs, William Kent, and Capability Brown, along with architect Sir John Vanburgh, worked here. After Viscount Cobham died, his nephew, Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple, took over. He made the parkland look more natural, changing lakes and woodlands, and moving monuments to new spots.

In 2020/21, the park and gardens had 213,721 visitors.

The Temple-Grenville Family: Owners of Stowe

The Temple family owned Stowe for a long time. They were important in politics and society.

• John Temple was an early family member who held important local positions.
• Sir Thomas Temple bought a knighthood and then a baronetcy from King James I. He was the first family member to be a Member of Parliament.
• Sir Peter Temple supported Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War.

Viscount Cobham (the 4th Baronet) was a military leader and was made a Baron and then a Viscount by King George I. He married a rich heiress, Anne Halsey, who brought a large dowry. He was part of the Kit-Cat Club, where he met famous people like John Vanbrugh, who helped design the gardens. Cobham was a leader of a political group called the Cobhamites. His sister, Hester, was made a Countess in her own right.

Richard Grenville, the future 2nd Earl Temple, married a wealthy heiress, Anna Chamber. He was also a political leader. King George II made him a Knight of the Garter. Earl Temple supported John Wilkes, a famous politician. When his cousin died, Earl Temple inherited another large house, Eastbury Park, but he couldn't sell it, so he tore it down and used some of its marble in the Marble Saloon at Stowe.

Many famous politicians were related to the family, including Prime Ministers William Pitt the Elder, William Pitt the Younger, George Grenville, and William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville. Even William Ewart Gladstone, another Prime Minister, was related by marriage.

George Nugent-Temple-Grenville became the 1st Marquess of Buckingham in 1784. He married a rich Catholic heiress, Mary Nugent. He inherited even more estates from his father-in-law.

The 2nd Marquess of Buckingham married Anna Eliza Brydges, an heiress who brought more estates to the family. To become a Duke, the family switched their political support. In 1822, King George IV made him the 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos. The family spent a lot of money to control certain parliamentary seats. The 1st Duke was also a military leader.

The 2nd Duke was known as the "Greatest Debtor in the world" because he had huge debts, over £1.4 million by 1845. He left the country in 1847 to avoid his creditors. That year, many of the family's estates and valuable possessions were sold, including paintings, furniture, silver, and even over 21,000 bottles of wine! The auction, held in The State Dining Room, only raised £75,400. The family's land shrunk greatly, and the garden staff was cut from 40 to 4. In 1849, the library's books were sold.

When the 3rd Duke died in 1889, there were no male heirs, so the Dukedom ended. The ownership of the estate then passed to his daughter, Lady Mary Morgan-Grenville. She tried to sell the house and estate but couldn't find a buyer. It was rented out for a while, then Lady Mary lived there until 1908, when she gave it to her son.

The last family owner, Rev. Luis C.F.T. Morgan-Grenville, sold the house, gardens, and part of the park in 1921 for £50,000 due to large debts. The buyer wanted to give the house to the nation but couldn't afford to maintain it. So, in 1922, it was sold again to the governors of what became Stowe School, which opened in 1923. The rest of the estate was sold in separate parts. The gardens remained with the school until 1989, when the National Trust took over their ownership thanks to a donation. In 1997, the Stowe House Preservation Trust took ownership of the house to restore it.

Who Owned Stowe?

Here are the main family members who owned Stowe and helped create the house and gardens:

• Peter Temple (leased in 1571)
• John Temple (bought in 1589)
• Sir Thomas Temple (1st Baronet)
• Sir Peter Temple (2nd Baronet)
• Sir Richard Temple (3rd Baronet)
• Richard Temple (1st Viscount Cobham)
• Richard Grenville-Temple (2nd Earl Temple)
• George Nugent-Temple-Grenville (1st Marquess of Buckingham)
• Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville (1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos)
• Richard Plantagenet Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville (2nd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos)
• Richard Plantagenet Campbell Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville (3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos)
• Lady Mary Morgan-Grenville (11th Lady Kinloss)
• Richard G. Morgan-Grenville (given estate in 1908, died in World War I)
• Reverend Luis C.F.T. Morgan-Grenville (inherited in 1914, sold in 1921)

Key People Who Shaped Stowe

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  Viscount Cobham, owned Stowe 1697-1749.

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  2nd Earl Temple, owned Stowe 1749-1779.

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  1st Marquess of Buckingham, owned Stowe 1779-1813.

Restoring Stowe House and Gardens

After the big sale in 1848, the house and gardens were not well cared for. Even though Stowe became a school in 1923, maintaining the huge gardens was a challenge. By the 1980s, it was clear that a major restoration was needed. In 1990, the National Trust took over the gardens.

The National Trust studied the gardens carefully to plan the restoration. They mapped every tree, boundary, building, lake, path, and fence. Their main goal was to keep everything that existed by 1843, when the last detailed plan of the garden was made. They also wanted to restore the main views and pathways. This work was greatly helped by the Stowe Papers, a collection of 350,000 documents with detailed information about the house and gardens.

One of the first big jobs was to clean out the lakes and other water features, removing a lot of mud. The wall of the ha-ha (a hidden ditch that keeps animals out) had mostly fallen down and had to be rebuilt by hand. They also found that very few old trees remained because the 3rd Duke had cut them down to sell the timber for money. New trees and shrubs were planted, using the same types that were originally there. Overgrown paths were dug out and covered with gravel.

Over 100 statues were sold from the gardens in the 1800s and early 1900s. It was decided to replace them slowly with copies as money became available. Work began on restoring the buildings in the gardens. Major restorations included the Grenville Column (1991), the Temple of Ancient Virtue (1992), and the Temple of Concord & Victory (1996). This last temple was badly damaged when 16 of its columns were removed to build the new school chapel in 1926. New columns were carved, and the building was re-roofed at a cost of £1.3 million. The first stage of restoration cost £10 million, funded by public appeals, the Heritage Lottery Fund, and other grants.

In 2002, the World Monuments Fund put Stowe House on its list of most endangered sites. The school had tried its best to keep the house in good repair. When the Stowe House Preservation Trust took over in 1997, they planned a six-phase restoration project, estimated to cost nearly £40 million.

The restoration phases for the house include:

• Phase 1: Restoring the North Front and Colonnades (completed 2002).
• Phase 2: Restoring the Central Pavilion and South Portico, including the Marble Saloon interior (completed 2006).
• Phase 3: Restoring the South Front, including the Large Library roof and facades, and the Eastern and Western Pavilions (started 2009).
• Phase 4 & 5: Restoring the West and East court and building ranges.
• Phase 6: Restoring the State Rooms. The Marble Saloon, Ante-Library, Large Library, Music Room, Egyptian Hall, Blue Room, and Grand Staircase have already been restored. Work on the North Hall is ongoing.

Stowe's Special Status

Stowe has one of the largest numbers of Grade I listed buildings in England. There are 27 separate structures with this highest level of protection. This means nearly 0.5% of all Grade I listed buildings in England and Wales are at Stowe! Other historic buildings in the garden and park are listed as Grade II* or Grade II.

The huge parks and gardens are also listed as Grade I on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

Extended content
Grade I listed buildings at Stowe House

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Famous Visitors to Stowe

Many important people, including royalty and nobles from Britain and other countries, visited Stowe House over the years.

• In the 1720s, writers like Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift, and William Congreve were frequent guests.
• In the 1730s and 1740s, Frederick, Prince of Wales, and other friends of Lord Cobham often visited.
• In 1754, Stanisław August Poniatowski, who would become the King of Poland, visited the gardens.
• King Christian VII of Denmark visited in 1768.
• In 1770, Princess Amelia of Great Britain and writer Horace Walpole attended a house party.
• The Prince Regent (who became King George IV) visited in 1805 and 1808.
• King Louis XVIII of France and other French royals stayed for several days in 1808.
• King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden visited in 1810.
• Russian Tsars Alexander I of Russia and Nicholas I (then Grand Dukes) visited in 1810 and 1818.
• Queen Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, King William IV's widow, stayed in 1840.
• In 1843, German royals like King Ernest Augustus of Hanover and Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia visited.
• Queen Victoria and Prince Albert stayed for several days in 1845.
• From 1889 to 1894, the Comte de Paris rented the estate. He died there, and the future King Edward VII paid his respects.

In April 1786, John Adams (who would become the second President of the United States) visited Stowe with Thomas Jefferson (who would become his Vice President and then President). Adams wrote about the beauty of Stowe but also questioned how such large estates were funded.

Stowe on Film and TV

Stowe House and its gardens have been used as a setting for many films, music videos, and TV shows:

• The music video for "Souvenir" by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (1981).
• Films like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), The World Is Not Enough (1999), Stardust (2007), The Wolfman (2010), and X-Men: First Class (2011).
• TV series such as Inspector Morse (1989), Vanity Fair (1998), and The Crown (2017).
• Documentaries like Buildings That Shaped Britain: The Country House (2006).

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