Our Collection
The Lost Treasures of Stowe’s Past
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The collection at Stowe highlights the family’s wealth and social climbing, giving us a glimpse of how opulent the state rooms once looked. Over the centuries, many treasures were sold during times of financial difficulty and are now scattered across the world. With the support of various organisations, we continue to recover lost items through donations, auctions, and replicas, as well as displaying original pieces on loan. Our House Custodians diligently research records to confirm the provenance of items for the collection. Look through our categories or search for specific items to learn about their Stowe story.
Today, Stowe’s collection is owned by four charities: Stowe House Preservation Trust, The Hall Bequest Trust, Stowe School and The Wynne Trust. Each plays a vital role in preserving and expanding the various aspects of Stowe’s heritage. During the 70+ years that Stowe School oversaw the Stowe estate, a ‘Treasure Chest’ fund was created to acquire lost items discovered at auction—an initiative that later evolved into the Hall Bequest Trust, ensuring Stowe’s treasures continue to find their way home.
Collection Categories
Collection Highlights
Soane Side Table
Portrait of Anne Eliza, Lady Temple
Portrait of Sir Richard Temple, Lord Cobham
Seeley’s Guide Book
Marine Venus
Soane Side Table
Portrait of Anne Eliza, Lady Temple
Portrait of Sir Richard Temple, Lord Cobham
Seeley’s Guide Book
Marine Venus
The David Wynne Collection
David Wynne (1926-2014) came to Stowe School as a 13-year-old boy and was very much influenced by the beauty of the environment. He took up sculpting full-time in 1950 and was a prolific creator. In 2007, he very generously put on long-term loan to the school 140 maquettes (smaller versions of the larger finished products now around the world) and this has recently been expanded into the Wynne Gallery in Plug Street. We also hold the Wynne Archive, which is open to in-person academic researchers.
Boy with a Dolphin
Australian Sea Lions
Awakening Earth
Blue Whale
Circling Birds
The Beatles (Small Edition)
Boy with a Dolphin
Australian Sea Lions
Awakening Earth
Blue Whale
Circling Birds
The Beatles (Small Edition)
Archive
We have a limited archive available at Stowe House which covers the house before it became a school in 1923. The Temple-Grenville family archive was sold at auction in 1922 and now resides in the Huntington Library, California, USA.
Please note, we don’t hold any records of the estate’s servants and grounds’ staff.
We also hold the Stowe House Preservation Trust (SHPT) restoration archive which documents the research, minutes, plans and architects’ drawings of the work carried out by SHPT to restore Stowe House and the State Rooms since 2000.
We welcome enquiries into the archive. Please fill in the online form below.
Archive Access Form
Publications and Research
Over the past 100 years, Stowe’s rejuvenation as an independent boarding school has encouraged Stowe’s past to be rediscovered. Over the past 25 years, Stowe House Preservation Trust has discovered missing information and implemented ground-breaking restoration and conservation techniques in our quest to return the house to its 18th-century glory whilst balancing its modern use as a busy, lively school.
For the first time, we’re bringing together digital articles and publications that have been written about Stowe. Read through a selection of publications relating to the history and restoration of Stowe House from various experts, and research undertaken to reveal Stowe’s secrets.
Check back here for more updates as we increase our digital bank of articles over the coming years.
Go on Your Own Treasure Hunt
We’re grateful to the many public museums who have saved Stowe artefacts over the century. If you’re up for a challenge, go on your own treasure hunt to see our items at some of the fantastic organisations listed below and support the museums and heritage sector. Don’t forget to share your pictures with us on social media.
The one and only image that we collectively can all conjure up from memory. National Portrait Gallery London, UK
National Portrait Gallery
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
Travel to a land down under
Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles, USA
Sold in 1921 for 150 guineas. Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight, Liverpool, UK
Head North
Queen Victoria’s favourite summer residence, Osborne House, Isle of Wight, UK. Now in the Royal Collection Trust.
Take a Ferry
There’s a fantastic selection of Stowe items in the renowned Wallace Collection.
To the Capital
You might be interested in
Digital copies of the Old Stoic dating back to 1923 and modern editions of the Corinthian can be found here.
The Huntington Library in the USA holds the Stowe Papers (Family Archive). A small selection is available digitally whilst access is granted for academic research. Much of the collections remains uncategorised.