Stowe

Directions

Stowe is a mile or so to the NNW of Buckingham. It is well signposted.

Photo Spot Details

The house at Stowe has been a school since the 1920s. The surrounding grounds, the first commission of the eighteenth-century’s best-known landscaper, ‘Capability’ Brown, have been in the hands of the National Trust since 1990. With their lakes and follies, the gardens have plenty of calculatedly surprising views. Catherine the Great borrowed a few ideas for her gardens in St Petersburg.

For the photographer, spring and autumn are probably the best seasons, though that doesn’t rule out the others. The main picture here is of the Palladian Bridge, with an autumn storm brewing. The lion in the third picture belongs to the house.