Stowe, Buckinghamshire, 1676-1813: a Greek precinct for the muses, philosophy and liberty

Thesis

This thesis analyses the architectural history of Stowe, Buckinghamshire, including Stowe House and garden. It is seen as an exercise in Greek architecture forming a precinct for the Muses, Philosophy and Liberty within the context of a Mouseion or Academy. Scholarship arising from Greek and Roman literature and archaeology inspired four successive generations of the Temple-Grenville family, from 1676 to 1813, along with an emphasis on intellectual and political liberty. This encompassed natural philosophy arising from Baconian experimental methodology and Greek heliocentric astronomy, as proved by Digges and supported by Newton’s principles, Berkeley’s relativity and Bradley’s discoveries through varying frames of reference. It led to the recreation of both Greek buildings and also Greek naturalised Arcadian landscaping. The result was a palimpsest of Greek revival architecture, the development of the English landscape garden, and the beginning of the picturesque movement. In addition, it uniquely expressed enlightenment values influencing America and France, and balancing Wren’s urban achievements. Along with recognising covert iconographic challenges, this thesis provides a new approach to Stowe’s architecture through synthesising detailed analyses. Stowe is seen as a supreme example of a wide range of intellectual and libertarian expressions focussed above all on Greek architecture, philosophy and science.

Authors: Bevington, M

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-jbykp88y1
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: temple; liberty; Grenville; philosophy; Cobham; Stowe; Buckingham; muses
• Subjects: Astronomy, Renaissance; Greek revival (Architecture); Eighteenth-century literature; Gardens, English; Picturesque movement; Intellectual history