Stowe Park and Garden

The Stowe gardens and estate are located close to the village of Stowe in Buckinghamshire, England. John Temple, a wealthy wool farmer, purchased the manor and estate in 1589. Subsequent generations of Temples inherited the estate, but it was with the succession of Sir Richard Temple that the gardens began to be developed, after the completion of a new house in 1683. Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham, inherited the estate in 1697, and in 1713 was given the title Baron Cobham. During this period, both the house and the garden were redesigned and expanded, with leading architects, designers and gardeners employed to enhance the property. The installation of a variety of temples and…

The Temples' wealth and prestige enabled them to engage with the leading designers of the Georgian era. The outline of the present gardens was laid by Charles Bridgeman, and some of the earliest of the forty monuments and temples situated on the estate were designed by John Vanbrugh. They were followed by William Kent, James Gibbs and then by Capability Brown, who was appointed head gardener at Stowe at the age of 25, and later married in the estate church. Tim Knox, in his chapter "The Fame of Stowe", published in the Trust's book, Stowe Landscape Gardens, suggests that Brown's subsequent career, which saw him deploy the expertise gained at Stowe across a large number of other landscape…

<gallery mode="nolines" heights="180px" widths="180px"> File:Stowe, Oxford Avenue - geograph.org.uk - 164901.jpg|The Oxford Avenue, looking south-west toward Water Stratford File:Road to Stowe - geograph.org.uk - 469812.jpg|Water Stratford Lodge File:Stowe Park, Buckinghamshire (4664092871).jpg|Oxford Gates File:Stowe Oxford Bridge.jpg|The Oxford Bridge & the Western Boycott Pavilion </gallery>