When my son,John was in his teens,he and some friends were asked to be "extras",playing Nazi Soldiers,in the film,"Indiana Jones,The Last Crusade."
Their part was shot here at Stowe House.John had to stand by the pillars,although he was in shot only momentarily,but it was a great experience for him.
Stowe House was begun by Sir Richard Temple in 1676, his family having risen from sheep farmers under Elizabeth I. Over the next century, Viscount Cobham and then Earl Temple (Cobham’s Grenville nephew) rebuilt it into the great classical show House and landscape which still amazes visitors today.
Numerous famous architects worked at Stowe House and Gardens. Among them were Sir John Vanbrugh, William Kent, James Gibbs, Robert Adam, Thomas Pitt and Sir John Soane, making Stowe one of the most important houses and estates in the country.
Meanwhile, the Temple-Grenville family and their Pitt relatives dominated much of 18th and early 19th Century politics. There were four prime ministers from this family in about 50 years.
Many members of European and Russian royal families visited over the years and this culminated in Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s 3 day visit in 1845. She is said not to have been impressed by the 2nd Duke’s lavish hospitality and the preparation for the visit left him hugely in debt.
In 1848, however, over-spending led to the great sale of the House contents. The 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos died in 1889 leaving the estate to his daughter, Lady Kinloss. When her eldest son was killed early on in World War I, the Stowe Estate was sold to Harry Shaw in 1921. Unable to present Stowe to the nation due to a lack of an endowment, he resold it, separating the House and Gardens from the contents once again. It was saved by the foundation of Stowe School in 1923.
Many thanks for all your views,comments and favs,always much appreciated.
