Stowe House
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RICS South East Building Conservation Award (Shortlisted)
RICS Conservation Award
RIBA Crown Estate Conservation Award (Shortlisted)
RIBA Award
British Construction Industry Award
Lead Contractor’s Association Murdoch Award
Featuring designs by Vanbrugh, Adam, Gibbs, Kent and Soane, Stowe is one of the finest 18th Century houses in Europe. Like many great estates, it declined in the 19th Century and was sold to become a public school. We were appointed to lead an ambitious six-phase repair and restoration programme to restore the house to its former glory and is currently in the third phase of works.
The external restoration of the South Front included stonework and roofing repairs to the pavilions to safeguard the building’s future. The internal restoration has focused on the Large Library & Ante Library, Egyptian Hall, and the upcoming Music Room, scheduled to complete in August 2012. We restored the Library to its late 18th Century historic splendour, including the elaborate Neoclassical plaster ceiling decorations, fine mahogany Neoclassical gallery and upper bookcases, and oak flooring.
- Architecture
- Conservation
- Cultural
- Education
- Masterplanning
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Proposals for the conservation of Stowe House have been informed by a full understanding of the history of the internal rooms and their context within the house. Through all of the internal and external works, the school has remained open and in use year-round.
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The works included stone repairs to the ashlar, cornice and decorative stonework to the East and West Pavilion, Library and State Dining Room.
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The restoration of the Large Library assumed priority during Phase 3 when a small amount of plaster from the highly decorated neoclassical ceiling fell down, necessitating ceiling netting to allow for continued use of the room.
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Water damage left the ceiling sagging and a system was created to redistribute its weight. The modern flat roof was removed and the original roof form reinstated using new oak frames to provide support for surviving weakened beams.
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Paint analysis was carried out in conjunction with research of historical records and images to establish the sequence of decorative scheme. The representation of the library was based on details from c.1796 when the room was re-established as a single room.
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Paint removal enabled the team to establish the full extent of the water damage and exposed the crispness and time appearance of decorative plasterwork. From records, it was established that the original scheme used 15,000 gold leaves.
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The restoration of the original decorations, done using traditional methods, and the Library’s inspiring historical connotations have made the library more popular than ever and it is another jewel in the crown of Stowe House Preservation Trust.
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The Egyptian Hall represents one of the earliest examples of Egyptian Revival Architecture. We uncovered and restored the original decorative scheme and introduced historically appropriate lighting to enhance the architectural effect.
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Stowe House was removed from English Heritage’s Buildings at Risk Register following the last phase of external repairs to the South Front.
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Our involvement with Stowe House and the Stowe Preservation Trust spans more than ten years and during that time we have assisted with HLF bids, heritage consultancy research and the protection of one of the finest 18th Century homes in Europe.