The Pantheon of England
Stowe House is the quintessential English country house. Its landscaped gardens are filled with buildings and the complex site features the work of Vanbrugh, Adam, Gibbs, Kent, Soane and others. The Marble Saloon was constructed in 1775-8 as a room designed by Giovanni Battista Borra and decorative detailing by Georges-François Blondel and Vincenzo Valdre.
Project overview
The restoration of Stowe House is one of the largest, multimillion pound restoration projects ever undertaken in Britain (currently £39.6 million). Our expertise and fundraising energies were concentrated on a specific section of the overall programme. Read more
History
One of the finest neoclassical buildings in Europe, it is hard to imagine a building which has benefited from the input of so many of Britain’s finest architects. Sir Richard Temple’s original seventeenth-century house was enlarged significantly by his son Viscount Cobham in the early eighteenth century. Read more
I was a Stoic in the early 40s and I feel sure that the beauty of Stowe had an effect we were hardly aware of at the time, but nevertheless has been a profound influence ever since. This is why I was keen to help…
Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover, a major donor to the overall restoration
Location
Lat: 52.03099, Lon: -1.01858
Facts
Location: Near Buckingham, north of Oxford, Buckinghamshire
Project dates: December 2004 – July 2005
WMF Britain project cost: Works to the Marble Saloon, £744,432.61
Watch List: Stowe House was on WMF’s Watch List in 2002
Key Funders: The Robert W. Wilson Challenge to Conserve Our Heritage and Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover
North Front
Links
Restoration Drama article from the Telegraph
To find out more about visiting Stowe House go to www.stowe.co.uk
Project partners and conservators
Owned by Stowe House Preservation Trust
Project Managers – Malcolm Reading & Associates
Architects – Mark Hammond, Purcell Miller Tritton Architects
Quantity Surveyor – Geoffrey Evans
Structural Engineer – Edward Morton, The Morton Partnership
Principal Contractor – Linford-Bridgeman Ltd
Specialist Contractors - Cliveden Conservation Workshop Ltd, Hirst Conservation and The Scagliola Company