A £9 million project to restore and transform the gateway to one of the world’s most beautiful gardens is now complete.
For the first time in 150 years, visitors to the 250-acre landscape garden in Buckinghamshire will now be able to experience the garden the way its Georgian designers intended. The Old Bell Gate has been sensitively reinstated as the main entrance, whilst the prestigious New Inn has been completely refurbished to create a new visitor centre, cafe and shop.
The New Inn was built in 1717 by Lord Cobham and was the original purpose-built entrance for visitors to Stowe. After the National Trust acquired the site in 2005, a huge project to restore the development commenced in 2010 and the dilapidated inn has now been transformed.
Over 20 specialist contractors were used and approximately 75 builders were involved with the project over the two-year build period. In addition, more than 60 volunteers offered their services, which included clearing the site and rescuing and reclaiming many of the original cobbles, tiles, bricks and timber.
David Brooks, National Trust property manager at Stowe, said:
“Stowe is an inspiring place for visitors to get outdoors and explore thanks to its 250 acres of gardens, 2,000 trees, 40 temples and two large lakes.
“Due to its scale and the calibre of architects and garden designers involved including Sir John Vanbrugh, William Kent, Charles Bridgeman, James Gibb and Capability Brown, it is a garden of monumental significance on the international stage.
“Until now we were lacking a ‘heart’ to the property – somewhere worthy of the magnificent grounds. Rebuilding the New Inn means that day-trippers can now follow in the footsteps of the original Georgian tourists. The reinstatement of the Bell Gate means that visitors will now catch their first glimpse of the breathtaking grounds as originally intended.”
The project involved the installation of over 128,000 clay tiles, whilst all of the windows were taken out individually and repaired by hand. Bricks have only been repaired where necessary to achieve a natural look and the other wall coverings are traditional chestnut lath with lime plaster.
Interestingly, 62 different wall paper designs dating from the 18th to mid 20th century were discovered during the restoration project. One of the most interesting finds is a rare wallpaper from around 1720, which is the National Trust’s oldest known wallpaper.
External works included the construction of a car park in a former quarry. The car park is sunk within the landscape to conceal the cars, whilst gravel has been used to hold flash floods and willow plants will help with drainage.
A range of Buckinghamshire fruit species have been planted in the hedgerows and the avenue of trees along the Ratley Ridgeway have been replanted after they were felled during World War II. A wildflower meadow and vegetable garden has also been planted by the Inn, whilst other wildlife considerations include preserving habitats for snakes, the creation of insect banks at the far end of the car park and the installation of 100 bird and bat boxes.
Richard Wheeler, National Trust garden historian, commented:
“Money was no issue for the Cobham family who commissioned the gardens. Lord Cobham and his nephew and heir Earl Temple could spend liberally on making their own paradise, and created what became a theme park style tourist attraction of its time.
“Over the last two decades we’ve restored much of the grounds and recreated three pathways – ‘Vice’, ‘Virtue’ and ‘Liberty’ – to encourage visitors to fully explore the grounds which will be, we hope, a fantastic playground for young and old alike.”
The National Trust has spent £9 million on the restoration of the Grade II listed building, which includes £1.5 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund and local fundraising.
Main contractor for the project was ISG and the architect was Cowper Griffith Architects.
