School Visits

School visits are welcome and currently the House and Gardens are operating a schools programme which ties in with the National Curriculum and makes the most of your visit.

For more information please contact Anna McEvoy on +44 (0)1280 818229 during office hours.

Educational Days Out

Stowe has been inspiring generations of school children since 1923 when it became Stowe School. It is still the perfect place to learn about the 18th century landscape movement, the neo-classical architectural revival as demonstrated through the House and temples and its influence around the world. However, the breadth of scope offered by the House and Gardens lends itself to a variety of subjects taught in the National Curriculum.

Stowe House and Gardens are currently developing schools packages to enable education visits for either half a day or a whole day. They can be adapted for Key Stages 1, 2 and 3 and tailor-made packages can be created for GCSE, A Level and Tertiary Education.

If you would like to trial any of these packages below, or have ideas of your own as to what you would like to get out of a school visit, please contact us.

Visual Education Project

Created for the pupils of Stowe School to gain a better understanding of their beautiful surroundings, the Visual Education project consists of expert-led activity booklets for both the House and the Gardens that encourage children to look in closer detail at the aesthetic and political meanings behind the art and architecture. It is suitable for 12 - 15 year olds but younger groups could be catered for. Please contact Stowe House for further detail.

Tertiary Education Visits

We already cater for tertiary education groups in both the House and Gardens and welcome enquiries from university groups, particularly those specializing in architecture and landscape design. Our guides have years of experience of the site and specialist guides can be found upon request. Please contact the numbers below if you are interested in a visit.

If you are an adult education group, such as U3A, WI, or a local history group, please follow the link to our Group Bookings section.

Primary and Secondary School Visits

Discovering Stowe

Stowe is a very visual and tactile site that brings to life art, architecture, history, geography and natural history. A day or half day can be spent focusing on a subject theme or can be spent exploring Stowe in all its different and exciting aspects.

Below are the ideas that we are currently working on. A typical visit may run as follows:
 

The packages can be mixed and matched and cover the following subjects:

Classical History: The Romans and the Greeks and how they inspired the people of the 18th century through their architecture, art and political ideals.

Victorian History: The visit to Stowe of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1845.

Local Geography and History: Using archival material to understand how Stowe functioned as a working estate, the extent of the estate and how it employed a large number of local people.

Citizenship: How people spent their leisure time, looking at different uses of old buildings and caring for local heritage.

English and Art: Be inspired by the beauty of Stowe to describe in words or pictures the influence of nature and man on the landscape.

Maths, Design and Technology: Using the temples in the Gardens and the exterior of the House to understand mathematical proportions, the geometry of classical architecture and the skills of masons of the past.

The Natural Environment: Looking at the fauna and flora on the estate and the relationship between the natural and the man-made environment.

Anna McEvoy, Visitor Services Manager,
Stowe House Preservation Trust
Tel: 01280 818229   Email: amcevoy@stowe.co.uk

Susan Le, Local Community Engagement Officer,
Stowe National Trust
Tel: 01280 818817  Email: susan.le@nationaltrust.org.uk