What has been achieved Thanks to the generosity of many donors and grant-making trusts, most particularly the Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage, the first two phases of a planned six-stage programme have been achieved to a magnificent standard. The impact of the northern aspect as you approach Stowe is breathtaking: the curving colonnades, formerly crumbling and discoloured, now gleam with fresh stone and a vibrant golden colour. Urgent roof repairs have saved priceless interiors including the famous marble saloon, itself now resplendent with conserved scagliola work and brilliant decorative plaster. A visitor centre welcomes the public and demonstrates the evolution of this vast, complex building. A lift now allows disabled visitors to see the piano nobile and the principal state rooms.
The Next Phase - The State Library We are now raising funds to commence the all-important Phase 3 of the restoration. Phase 3 will enable vital exterior and interior work to halt alarming decay, preserve important features, and repair extensive damage. The initial focus will be the State Library. Recent structural surveys of the Library have identified the alarming extent of decay and disrepair within the structures of the roof and ceiling in particular. Ingress of water, movement and resultant cracks, the inadequate nature of historic repairs, and the affects of damp and dry rot, have led to a critical state of disrepair. Much of the fine plaster ceiling has, in effect, become separated from the roof joists that have held it. Plaster falls are increasingly common, leading to the unsightly necessity of a green safety net, now suspended from just above the tops of the wooden bookcases. The next phase of restoration will focus too on the preservation of these bookcases and other original features. The anticipated cost of this work is £2.6 million. Conservation specialists and craftsmen are ready to return to the project as soon as funds allow.
Please click on an image to enlarge.
Making a Gift to support this project Raising the funds necessary for this, and future phases of the restoration will be a significant challenge, but it is clearly one that we must rise to. With the generosity of all quarters of the Stowe community, and those with a passion for the restoration and preservation of historic buildings, we are confident of ultimate success. Donations of all sizes will be important: as our achievements to date have shown, it is the accumulation of large and more modest gifts that will be crucial to reaching the fundraising targets. If you would like to discuss how you might help with the restoration project, or you would wish to obtain further information, please get in touch with the Director of the Campaign for Stowe, Colin Dudgeon. All his contact details are provided here. For information about how to make a donation please click on 'Making a Donation' in the menu bar above.
Funding Idea: A gift of £500 (or £14 per month over 3 years) would be sufficient to fund the restoration of one of the 600 ornate plaster rosettes on the ceiling. Such generosity would be recorded in a Book of Donors to be placed in the library.
