I’m Catherine Winn, Learning and Interpretation Officer at Stowe Landscape Gardens. Basically, I am responsible for producing relevant information for our visitors such as display boards, seasonal walks, children’s trails, family events and more.
I have recently become involved with the interpretation of New Inn which is such an exciting project! Bringing an 18th century inn to life again and explaining the story to engage our visitors is quite a challenge!
This blog is mainly about the restoration process itself ie, the physical work that will be undertaken to transform New Inn back to more or less its original use - an inn built to accommodate the first tourists to marvel at Stowe.
So, if you like looking at photos of derelict buildings with their rotting beams, broken floors, tumbling ceilings and cracked glass, you can follow this wonderful story about New Inn and all the people involved in its transformation.
Dear Catherine.
I was so pleased to stumble upon the news about the renovation of the New Inn as my family are descended from the Bennett family who ran the inn in the 1850s my gggg grandfather had the forge and apparently lived in the Corinthian Arch.Is this possible?
I would love to follow the work and hopefully visit in the near future.
Phil Bennett
Phil,
How exciting! Your gggg grandfather could have lived in the Corinthian Arch as it does have accommodation. I’m hoping to do some research into the Bennett family who lived at New Inn for many years. We shall then put appropriate information about them in New Inn itself.
If you have any family history please feel free to send it to me, especially old photos or images.
You must come and see New Inn when it’s finished. This is a lovely piece of your heritage!
Thanks for contacting me.
Catherine