Posted by James Mott on 24th January 2012.

This weekend I was fortunate enough to attend a ‘tweetup’ at Stowe house hosted by Jonathan Foyle CEO World Monument Fund Britian.

All communities like to get together from time to time and the online twitter community is no exception. A tweetup put simply, is where people who choose to communicate on twitter get together. It’s a unique opportunity to share experiences, get to know each other and form lasting friendships.

Jonathan had arranged a tour of Stowe House and over 40 people attended the event. Everyone gathered in the entrance hall at 1pm, where there was an excited buzz.

The tour started in the ‘blue room’ and continued through the house and around the stunning landscaped gardens. Jonathan’s knowledge and enthusiasm for Stowe is infectious, which left everyone fascinated with its history and stunning architecture. Tea and cake was served at 4pm.

Stowe is renowned for its beautiful landscape and for its school, which has since 1923 been the guardian of the magnificent eighteenth-century mansion.

Architects, garden designers and artists who worked at Stowe include Sir John Vanbrugh, James Gibbs, William Ken, Charles Bridgeman, John Michael Rysbrac, Lancelot 'Capability' Brown, Robert Adam and Sir John Soane, making Stowe an architectural paradise.

Due to its significance, decay and state of disrepair, in 2002 the World Monuments Fund placed Stowe house on its List of Most Endangered Sites.

The restoration of Stowe House has been one of the largest restoration projects ever undertaken in Britain. Most of the essential restoration work has now been completed, including the repair of the north facing façades and main roofs. Over the past 20 years, the National Trust has also been restoring the estates gardens, temples and numerous follies.

Inside the main house, the library and most notably the marble saloon have been fully restored and put simply are breathtaking.

More restoration works are planned for 2012 – the World Monuments Fund needs to raise a further £99,508 to go to reach the £10 million target - you can make a donation here

Thankyou Jonathan for hosting such a memorable afternoon, may there be many more.

Here’s a short video of the day..

 

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