The Gothic Library at Stowe: A Reappraisal

George Clarke Prize winner, Dr Ralph St Clair Wade reconsiders the origins and significance of the Gothic Library at Stowe, one of the earliest interiors of the Gothic Revival.

This talk is one of a lecture series held monthly.Join us as last year’s winner of the George Clarke Prize, Dr Ralph St Clair Wade, presents his latest research on the Gothic Library at Stowe.

The George Clarke Prize is a biennial award granted by the Hall Bequest Trust for original research into the history, architecture and landscape of Stowe House.

The prize encourages new scholarship based on the estate’s extensive archive of more than 350,000 papers based at the Huntington Library (California), with winners presenting their findings through lectures and publications.The Gothic Library at Stowe House, Buckinghamshire is a rare survival.

Commissioned by the 1st Marquess of Buckingham, the Library is significant as the only Gothic interior designed by the distinguished classicist Sir John Soane (1753–1837).

In itself, it is one of the earliest interiors of the Gothic Revival.But why the departure from Stowe’s famous classicism? This talk takes a fresh look at the room’s accepted origin story and considers the role of Mary, Marchioness of Buckingham (1758–1812), and her Catholic chaplain, Charles O’Connor.