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Restoration and Adaptive Use of a Historic English Country Estate: a Learning History

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Restoration and Adaptive Use of a Historic English Country Estate: a Learning History Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports 2012 Restoration and Adaptive Use of a Historic English Country Estate: A Learning History Anna D. Phoenix West Virginia University Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd Recommended Citation Phoenix, Anna D., "Restoration and Adaptive Use of a Historic English Country Estate: A Learning History" (2012). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 513. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/513 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by the The Research Repository @ WVU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you must obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in WVU Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports collection by an authorized administrator of The Research Repository @ WVU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Restoration and Adaptive Use of a Historic English Country Estate: A Learning History Anna D. Phoenix Dissertation submitted to the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design at West Virginia University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Human and Community Development Kathryn Burton, Ph.D., Chair Cindy Beacham, Ph.D. Melissa Bingmann, Ph.D. Anna McEvoy Barbara McFall, Ph.D. Division of Design and Merchandising Division of Resource Management Morgantown, West Virginia 2012 Keywords: Historic Site Management, Adaptive Use, Restoration, England, Learning History Copyright 2012 Anna D. Phoenix ABSTRACT Restoration and Adaptive Use of a Historic English Country Estate, A Learning History Anna D. Phoenix Within the field of historic preservation, often a single strategy for preservation is chosen from preservation, restoration, adaptive use or reconstruction. Occasionally it is appropriate to simultaneously implement two or more of those strategies. Adopting multiple strategies requires the involvement of different organizations whose goals and philosophies may clash. Stowe House is an example where restoration and adaptive use have been applied in tandem, forming the partnership of Stowe School, Stowe House Preservation Trust and the English National Trust. In this case forming a symbiotic tripartite partnership has resulted in the long-term survival of the Stowe estate. The purpose of this study is to examine the restoration, adaptive use and historic site management of Stowe House, Buckingham, England using the narratives of individuals with controlling interest in the historic property. The Learning History Methodology (LHM), with its requisite interview process, was used as a means to record, validate and analyze various perspectives related to the preservation of the house. The completed narrative has the potential to inform future decisions made at Stowe and it may be useful to others undertaking similar restoration projects. Many English country houses, once home to the elite, have been abandoned since the turn of the twentieth century due to the high expense of upkeep or the lack of heirs. Many have been destroyed, some have become house museums and others have been adaptively- used as schools or for other institutional uses (Martin, 1985). Stowe House, an eighteenth century Neo-classical ducal palace, was historically home to the Temple-Grenville family, prominent political figures during the eighteenth and nineteenth century. The house is surrounded by over 400 acres of landscaped gardens. In 1923 the estate was adaptively used as a private boys’ boarding school, called Stowe School (Bevington, 2002). After over six decades of use by young boarders, the property was in need of attention and the school could not afford the repairs. The English National Trust obtained stewardship of the Gardens in 1989 and the Stowe House Preservation Trust (SHPT) was formed in 1997 to obtain funding and to manage the house restoration and visitor services. A multi-phase restoration process began in 2000, while the building continued to serve the school and receive 5,000 visitors a year. The SHPT, English National Trust and Stowe School each have distinct responsibilities in caring for the property. The complexities arising from this partnership creates a unique case study pertaining to issues surrounding historic site management. The Learning History Methodology, developed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is a case study approach which tells the story of change in an organization (Roth & Kleiner, n.d.). Through interviews, each participant is able to anonymously communicate their own unique experience. The interviews are transcribed by the researcher and then validated by the participants. The researcher then analyzes the validated responses and creates an overarching narrative reflective of the change process as seen through a variety of lenses. In the case of Stowe House, the restoration process is being documented in order to influence future decision-making. The data is presented in the form of a Learning History document, highlighting the benefits and challenges of the partnership model in operation at Stowe House. The data revealed insight into the dynamics of the partnership; illuminating successful collaborations and areas of conflict between the partners. The Learning History document provides those involved at Stowe and those involved in the field of historic site management a learning document that explains the complicated partnership model and reveals opportunities for more efficient relationships and collaborations. DEDICATION To Coach C. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank all of those people who helped make this dissertation possible. To the members of my graduate committee: Dr. Kathryn Burton for her support, encouragement and dedication to this project. Dr. Cindy Beacham for sharing her design research experience. Dr. Melissa Bingmann for sharing her public history experience and being open to a multidisciplinary study. Anna McEvoy for being a wonderful host and friendly face during my time at Stowe House. Dr. Barbara McFall for always believing in me from freshmen year to a completed dissertation. To the Division of Design and Merchandising at West Virginia University: Thank you for the generous financial support during my graduate career. The research and writing of this dissertation would not have been possible without it. To those at Stowe House and Stowe School: Thank you for allowing me to live and research in such a beautiful setting. To my interview participants: Thank you for your cooperation and dedication to making Stowe House better. And finally, to my family and friends: Thank you for your prayers, support and encouragement; I couldn’t have done it without you. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I: Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1 Problem Statement ............................................................................................................ 5 Purpose of the Study ......................................................................................................... 5 Research Framework ........................................................................................................ 6 Learning History. .......................................................................................................... 6 Delimitations. ................................................................................................................ 7 Limitations. ................................................................................................................... 7 Definitions......................................................................................................................... 7 Summary ........................................................................................................................... 9 CHAPTER II: Review of Literature ....................................................................................... 11 Historic Preservation Theories ........................................................................................ 11 Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc. ............................................................................. 12 John Ruskin. ................................................................................................................ 13 William Morris............................................................................................................ 14 Philip Johnson. ............................................................................................................ 14 Robert Venturi. ........................................................................................................... 15 Strategies for Preservation .............................................................................................. 15 Preservation................................................................................................................. 16 Restoration. ................................................................................................................. 16 Reconstruction. ..........................................................................................................
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