Stowe Gardens
Stowe is 'Britain’s largest work of art' according to the National Trust who is charged with maintaining it. However, it is not the house that takes the plaudits, but the grounds. Generally regarded as a classic masterpiece, they are the most impressive and important landscaped garden in the UK.
Stowe was commissioned in the 18th century by the Temple family, said to have been the wealthiest in the country, and later to hold the title Dukes of Buckingham. The greatest gardeners and architects available worked on it, including John Vanbrugh, Robert Adam, William Kent, James Gibbs and Capability Brown. No expense was spared on creating what was to become one of the wonders of the world. Visitors crossed oceans to see it. Indeed, as early as 1744 it had become the first stately home to have its own guide book.
However, by the mid-19th century, thanks to the expense lavished on Stowe, the Dukes of Buckingham became the country’s biggest debtors. The interior treasures were sold off by creditors in what was termed the 'sale of the century'. But the influential landscape gardens, with the 25 structures including the famous Gothic Temple, remained relatively unspoilt. Truly a place not to be missed.