Stowe House Preservation Trust Stowe House is on English Heritage's current list of buildings at risk, and was on the World Monuments Fund list (2002) for the 100 most endangered sites of significance worldwide. His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, who honoured Stowe House by a visit in May 2001, expressed approval for 'restoring what is certainly one of Britain's finest 18th century houses and conserving it in perpetuity for the benefit, not only of this nation, but for all lovers of civilization, taste, fine architecture and the English landscape'.
The Creation of Stowe House Preservation Trust Stowe is acknowledged as one of Europe's outstanding historic sites. Having been saved from certain post war destruction by the formation of Stowe School in 1923 the buildings were adapted to create a modern public school. Stowe's well-known Landscape Gardens were transferred to The National Trust in 1989 when the School were unable to maintain them and the partnership between Stowe School and The National Trust began. The Governors of Stowe School had thought that the logical step for the restoration of Stowe, after the gift of the Landscape Gardens to the nation by the School, was for Stowe House to pass to the National Trust under similar arrangements to those that apply to the Landscape Gardens. This was formally proposed in early 1996 but the National Trust felt unable to take responsibility for the restoration of Stowe House. Recognising that the House was in dire need of restoration and that the School had insufficient funds an alterative way to resolve the
problem had to be identified. The problem was one of heritage restoration and the obvious source of funding was the Heritage Lottery Fund. The School, with education as its object, was ineligible to apply to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a grant. From this situation the Stowe House Preservation Trust was formed. On 30 June 1997, The Stowe House Preservation Trust was established with the principle aim of restoring and preserving Stowe House for the benefit of the nation and the public Stowe House is on English Heritage's current list of buildings at risk, and on the World Monuments Fund list (2002) for the 100 most endangered sites of significance worldwide. The Stowe House Preservation Plan aims to:
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renovate and conserve all the external fabric of Stowe House to ensure the continuance of this heritage asset for the nation.
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expose and upgrade the heritage aspect of parts of Stowe House currently degraded by modern development.
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balance the renovation and conservation with the requirements of visitors and users.
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best present Stowe House as the central temple in the Stowe Landscape Gardens.
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renovate the State Rooms at piano nobile level, and the Gothic Library, ensuring the maximum benefits for visitors.
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secure the internal fabric from damage and the external elements by renovating roofs, together with renovating services to minimise the potential of damage from leaking pipework and from electrically-caused fires.
So far, Phase 1 and Phase 2 have been successfully completed at a cost of just over £15m. Stowe House Preservation Trust is currently undergoing the application to the HLF for Phase 3 - the South Front, the State Library and the State Dining Room.
The Long Term Vision The long term goal of the partners at Stowe is to return the site to its former glory, whilst protecting the interests of each partner as changes are made. In the short term, this involves restoring the House so that it becomes, as it was designed, the principal temple in Stowe's Gardens, and in re-uniting and restoring the Gardens. In the longer term, The Stowe House Preservation Trust, the School and the National Trust will work together to further the restoration of Stowe as a historic masterpiece. The visitor experience will be enhanced through the development of a National Trust Visitor's Centre located at New Inn, by the Corinthian Arch, the original 18th century entrance to the Gardens. The development of historic Stowe will involve each partner respecting the interests of the others and negotiating suitable solutions to specific challenges that arise within the overall joint goal.
