1. Google Wonders of the World Project Stowe House

2. Location: Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom, Europe Theme: Regions and Landscapes Stowe House

3. History The Stowe House in Buckinghamshire, England, originally belonged to the Temple Grenville family. The first house on its footprint was built between 1677 and 1683. Over the next century the family changed and enlarged the house and its elaborately designed gardens. Stowe House was designed by many famous British architects including John Vanbrugh, James Gibbs, Robert Adam, and John Soane. Unfortunately, the family became bankrupt. In 1827 the first Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, great-great-grandson of Sir Richard temple, closed Stowe House because he did not want to pay the debt. In 1848, the family tried to stay afloat by selling almost all of their art through a major auction. The last time the Stowe House came to the auction block was in 1922, when it was saved from demolition and transformed into a Stowe School. The Stowe School opened in May 1923.

4. Facts Well-known landscape designers William Kent and later Capability Brown made the grounds into Britain’s finest Arcadian garden. The garden included fifty buildings. The family built a magnificent art collection and displayed it in the interiors. The Stowe House is nearly 305 meters (1,000 feet) wide. The Stowe School opened in May 1923.

5. References http://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/worl dwonders/stowe-house/#tab=details&ql=1