Past event
Talks and Tours

Vanbrugh Weekend: Walking Tour

1-3 August, various times | Ticket price: From Free-Free

Vanbrugh300 Tour

Discover the legacy of Sir John Vanbrugh on a guided tour celebrating the Vanbrugh300 anniversary. These exclusive tours offer a rare opportunity to explore parts of the external estate campus not usually accessible to visitors, revealing hidden architectural details that contribute to Stowe’s extraordinary design and evolution.

Led by knowledgeable guides, they’ll uncover Vanbrugh’s influence on the estate, highlighting key architectural features while also exploring Stowe’s distinctive approach to commissioning designers, both historic and modern. Over time, this vision has created a rich layering of work by some of the most celebrated architects making Stowe a built record of evolving taste, ambition, and craftsmanship.

The tours will also shine a light on the often overlooked spaces that supported daily life at Stowe, since Vanbrugh’s contribution was not limited to grand, theatrical statements. Visitors will gain insight into such workaday areas, where the rhythms of everyday work once sustained the household.

Many of these spaces continue to serve essential functions today. Although adapted over time, they remain integral to the ongoing life of the estate, offering a fascinating connection between past and present. This perspective reveals not only how Stowe was designed to impress, but also how it was, and still is, built to function.

Essential Info

  • You can pre-book online or arrive on the day with a first serve basis if there is availability
  • Location: The tours will begin at the House. Please allow enough time in your schedule to walk through the National Trust gardens to reach the House – we recommend 30-40 minutes
  • Please arrive 5-10 minutes before you chosen tour time
  • This tour covers an extended distance, is predominantly outdoors, on even level surfaces. Wear comfy shoes and dress for the weather
  • The tour will last approximately 45 minutes
  • Please let us know of any accessibility needs to support your experience via: houseinfo@stowe.co.uk
  • Accessible parking is available. Please contact us in advance if you require direct parking at the House

More Vanbrugh Weekend Activities

See all events
  • In the background a map of the Stowe estate from the 1700s. In the foreground, cut out portraits from left: Lord Cobham (aristocrat), Charles Bridgeman (Garden Designer), Sir John Vanbrugh (architect), and a modern photograph of Michael Bevington.
    Talks and Tours

    Sir John Vanbrugh and the Making of Stowe

    Michael Bevington examines Sir John Vanbrugh’s work at Stowe and the landscape vision he helped to create.

    15 October, 6:00pm - 7:30pm | Ticket price: £3.50

  • Talks and Tours

    Stars at Stowe Stargazing

    Prepare to embark on a mesmerising journey through the cosmos beneath a breath-taking starlit canopy!

    31 October, 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Ticket price: From £12.50-£18.50

  • A collage of four winter scenes which are lino cut prints. Two of a frosty landscape with barren trees and snow on the ground. Close-ups of ivy and holly.
    Workshops

    Lino Print Winter Workshop

    Create your own multi-layered winter-inspired lino print in a one-day artist-led workshop with expert printmaker Alexandra Buckle.

    22 November, 10:00am - 4:00pm | Ticket price: £90.00