Pictures of Stowe School Grounds Buckinghamshire

The design of the gardens and parkland began earlier and often took precedence over work on the main residence, with Stowe House, now Stowe School, as the greatest, central garden monument.

Sir Richard Temple, 3rd Baronet, commissioned a new house in 1676 to reflect his family's increasing fortune and influence. Designed by William Cleare and completed in 1683, it marked the beginning of the wholesale expansion of the landscape surrounding the mansion.

Earl Temple inherited Stowe in 1749. He extensively remodelled the house, developing the magnificent South Front along the lines of plans by Robert Adam, and reworking the North Front with colonnades and arches.

Since Stowe School opened in May 1923, the interior has been overhauled to include classrooms, dormitories and a new chapel.

The gardens are open to the public - see http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-stowegardens/w-stowegardens-house.htm