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The History of Stowe
From sixteenth-century sheep farmers to nineteenth-century dukes, the
Temple-Grenville family made their name by marrying heiresses and
following their political ambitions. They were able to work their way up the
title ladder and make their mark on north Buckinghamshire with the creation
of Stowe. The history of the Stowe estate is a long one and its magnificence is
still visible today, despite the decline in the family's fortunes. Saved by the
creation of Stowe School in 1923, both the house and gardens are
undergoing long-term restoration, and are visited by thousands of people
every year.
The Origins of Stowe
Inheriting land bought by his family under Elizabeth I, Sir Thomas Temple,
first Baronet of Stowe, attempted to involve himself in the politics of the
nearby county town of Buckingham. It was his grandson, Richard, who began
to build his new house in 1680 on the site of Stowe House today. His
development of the gardens for both practical and ornamental use laid the
foundations of the formal gardens that his son, later known as Viscount
Cobham, eventually expanded.
The Creation of Stowe
Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham, is the member of the family who has
made the most impact on Stowe. The creation of the gardens as a formal
stage set was aided by the foremost architects and garden designers of the
time - Vanbrugh, Bridgeman, Gibbs and Kent. Writer Alexander Pope's visits
from 1724 saw the gardens develop and in 1731 he wrote a poem to the new
style of English gardening, citing Stowe as his prime example. From 1733, his
dislike of the current politics under Robert Walpole led Cobham to retire
from politics. At Stowe, he used the gardens to unleash his opposition to the
government by creating a political landscape full of hidden meaning and a
tirade against his opponents. The sweeping away of the formality of the
gardens by 'Capability' Brown in the 1740s created the landscapes that were
visited by tourists in the eighteenth century and that we still see today.
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