PhotoWalks: Stowe Gardens

Exploring the 18th-century Picturesque landscaped garden

Photograph by Stephen Ellis Bell. Sony A7r mk4.

The Picturesque was a post-neoclassical style that focused on the marrying of fine (classically orientated) architecture with landscaped gardens that expressed ideas of that time of what was beautiful. A love of nature was coming to the fore, and landscaped gardens reflected that. Such landscaped gardens often contained follies — non-functional buildings that offered focal points for an appreciative eye — and/or ruins. Yes, 18th-century owners of stately homes did sometimes build ruins!

Some of the ideas around ‘perfect’ features of landscapes still stick in our 21st-century brains, and early photographers had these things in mind when they set about transporting quarter plate cameras and portable darkrooms up mountains… Witness the highly regarded works by Roger Fenton in the mid-19th century.

Roger Fenton, mid-19th-century photographer. Was he influenced by ideas and themes from the previous century over picturesque? Nature and ruins? The remains of Rievaulx Abbey frame an example of wild nature. The power of water, a force of nature - Fenton’s Falls of the Llugwy, at Pont-y-Pair (Betws-y-Coed in Wales). Finally, nature controlled and deployed: Hunford Mill, Surrey. This is the mill’s pool that supplies the water to drive the mill wheel.

Are we that much different today? How many landscape photographers today will take all steps that they can to avoid cars, electric pylons, telegraph poles, or examples of modern housing? More than a few, and indeed there are times when I am definitely in that camp! So I set myself the challenge of recording some 18th-century Picturesque settings. I’m not allowing myself any sight of contemporary dress, mobile phones, or indeed modern cameras…

Nature captured: this is the huge lake dug during Capability Brown’s time at Stowe. Here this decorative feature reflects both untamed nature and the post-classical picturesque bridge. Photograph by Stephen Ellis Bell. Sony A7r mk4.

One of the best structures in Stowe is the Palladian Bridge. Designed and built by James Biggs between 1738 and 1755, it is an elegant structure and a focal point in the gardens. Perhaps the most famous garden and landscape designer to work at Stowe was Capability Brown. During the early 18th century, he rose through the ranks at Stowe, then left to create other landscapes for nobility and royal customers. Much of the layout one sees today came from Brown’s work.

Photograph by Stephen Ellis Bell. Sony A7r mk4.

These landscaped gardens seek to replicate what was considered sublime in natural landscapes, so there are places where the carefully cultivated ‘look’ is nature unbounded. At Stowe, the areas around the lake and the islands within look to be returning to nature, but it does take a firm gardener’s hands to keep it looking that way.

The Gothic Temple at Stowe. A picturesque folly that you can stay in. Photograph by Stephen Ellis Bell.

The Gothic Temple is a functional folly in Stowe Gardens. In fact, it is in the care of the Landmark Trust, and one can pay to stay here and enjoy the gardens at one’s leisure. It is actually very small inside, basically two rooms — one above the other. The National Trust maintains the rest of the gardens.

It looks a grand entrance to a building, but under the frontage there is a blank wall. A lovely place to sit protected from the elements. Photo by the author, Stephen Ellis Bell. Sony A7r mk4.

Another temple found overlooking the grounds from an elevated position. An occasional gallery or workshop base. Photo by the author, Stephen Ellis Bell. Sony A7r mk4.

As you might expect, Stowe has been used regularly by the film and TV industry as a sophisticated and historical backdrop. The Crown, X-Men First Class, Stardust, Indiana Jones, and James Bond have all used Stowe as a location in their productions. The bridge and the main house are the most popular locations. Stowe House, the original stately home for these gardens, was purchased in 1922 and turned into a private or ‘public’ school. Currently, it has around 900 pupils, boys and girls. Some famous ex-pupils? The founder of Virgin Group, Richard Branson, the super-actor Henry Cavill, and actor David Niven (whose autobiography “The Moon’s a Balloon” I heartily recommend) all attended here. During school breaks, the school does allow some visits, and I shall aim for that next time I visit.

Rear elevation Stowe School, overlooking the gardens. Photograph by Stephen Ellis Bell. Sony A7r mk4.

One could literally tour the house and gardens all day and not see all it has to offer! It is unbelievable now that the estate was only saved by the group in 1921–22, which was to launch the school. Over decades, though, the main focus was on developing facilities for the school and less on the 40-plus monuments and follies spread over the 1,000 acres of landscaped gardens. In 1989, the lands were gifted to the National Trust. The trust immediately commissioned £10m worth of works to preserve the most run-down follies and temples.

I do hope that you have enjoyed reading this short introduction to Stowe Gardens, and if you are ever in Buckinghamshire, do make the effort to visit. For me, it was an opportunity to throw my mind back to the ideas of Picturesque that led to the creation of this captivating place. The popularity of such gardens speaks volumes about how much romantic and, indeed, picturesque ideas and their concepts of beauty in both architecture and nature still influence us today.

Views of Stowe Gardens. Photos by Stephen Ellis Bell.

If you are interested in following up on my article, here is the link to the NT’s Stowe page. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/oxfordshire-buckinghamshire-berkshire/stowe-gardens If you want to see more of my work, this is my 40th article on Medium (!), so look me up there as well as @stephenellisbell on Instagram.

— STEPHEN ELLIS BELL MA(ed) BA(hons) PGCE

Stowe House Public School / Photo by Stephen Bell