So wrote the poet James Thomson of Stowe House, the former home of the Temple family near Buckingham, in 1730. He was right – Stowe is majestic, and it is a paradise. With 400 rooms, it is extraordinary to think that one family once lived at Stowe, since it has been a boarding school for the last century. It is the ultimate diversified country house, and now, the most beautifully restored: in November, Stowe won the restoration of a Georgian country house prize at the Georgian Group’s annual awards.
The restoration project for which it has been recognised began over 25 years ago, and