Stowe
Garden - Parkland - House
National Trust

Stowe is a National Trust property in Buckinghamshire that has been attracting visitors for over 300 years. The scale and beauty of Stowe is breath-taking with picture-perfect views, winding paths, lakeside walks and temples that create a timeless landscape reflecting the changing seasons.

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Visitors can explore the beautiful follies and temples that are astonishing and the school front is a stunning backdrop. Restoration work has continued on the buildings but some of the grassed areas look more scruffy than they used to, but the removal of the golf course is a huge step forward

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Stowe is named after a small Buckinghamshire village of the same name. The estate has existed in some form for nearly 1,000 years, with mentions of the local area in the Domesday Book. By 1712, the village consisted of 32 houses and 180 residents

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In 1589 John Temple purchased the Stowe Manor and estate. His father had been leasing the house for 18 years. Their large fortune was built on sheep farming and wool and, with farms in Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, Stowe made the perfect location for the family home

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The house and garden were sold in l922 when Stowe School was founded. The National Trust first became involved in l967 and took over formal ownership of the garden in l989, initiating a major programme of restoration.

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Stowe House Preservation Trust was established in 1997 to restore the house and share this special place with the world. Inside the house you can see the results of one of the most pioneering restoration projects of the 21st century and one of the most excessive homes in England.