Monument record 0420802902 - QUEEN'S TEMPLE, Stowe Landscape Gardens

Summary

Second World War firing range near the Queen's Temple

Protected Status/Designation

  • Listed Building (I) ()
  • SHINE: Stowe medieval to post medieval landscape garden, medieval deserted villages of Lamport & Boycott, shrunken village of Daford, also moats, manors and fishponds, ridge and furrow earthworks & cropmarks (DBC7454)

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Type and Period (1)

  • FIRING RANGE (Modern - 1943 AD? to 1999 AD)

Description

The firing range is close to the Queen's Temple. Today the Combined Cadet Forces uses the firing range, but research indicates the range was built in 1943 for the Home Guard (B40).
The rifle range is mentioned in The Stoic Magazines of 1933 and 1934 suggesting a construction date around this time. This firing range is known to have replaced an earlier range. The range was set into a west-facing slope at the head of a narrow valley in the Hawkwell Field area. The main componet was a high wall, 18m in length, 4.3m high, built if dark blue engineering bricks and served as a protective screen behind the targets. From the face of wall two lines of virtical wooden sleepers of descending height probably held back the two ends of the sand embankment carrying the targets. Infront of the wall a rectangular depression formed a ricochet pit 17m long and 16m wide and 1.8m deep. Firing took place from a concrete platform, 10.5m long and 3.8m wide, to the SW of the wall. The shed, 3x2m and 2.2m in height, was constructed from corrugated iron sheets secured to a crude timber frame. The sheets had been painted light green colour to provide some degree of camouflage (B72).

Sources (26)

  • ---SBC17422 Aerial Photograph: 04/09/76. BCM A2/11/20-22. SP\674376. Yes.
  • ---SBC20023 Unpublished document: English Heritage. 2001. Stowe Park, Stowe, Buckinghamshire: An Archaeological Survey by English Heritage (Survey Report).
  • ---SBC21871 Aerial Photograph: 1965.
  • <1>SBC9229 Bibliographic reference: C Morris (ed). 1949. The Journeys of Celia Fiennes c1694. pp29-30.
  • <2>SBC14098 Bibliographic reference: SEELEY B 1766 STOWE, A DESCRIPTION OF THE MAGNIFICENT HOUSE & GARDENS (WITH ILLUS) (ARE VARIOUS ED.
  • <3>SBC16278 Bibliographic reference: VERTUE G ET AL; ENGRAVINGS IN SOC OF ANTIQUARIES RED PORTFOLIO P24.
  • <4>SBC7809 Bibliographic reference: LIPSCOMB 3 PP84-108 (FULL DESCRIPTION & ILLUS OF MANSION, APARTMENTS, CONTENTS & GARDENS).
  • <5>SBC14400 Bibliographic reference: SHEAHAN PP304-8 (FULL DESCRIPTION OF HOUSE, GARDEN TEMPLES &C).
  • <6>SBC16094 Bibliographic reference: VCH BUCKS 4 PP229-233 (FULL DESCRIPTION, ILLUS, GROUND PLAN, MANORIAL HISTORY).
  • <7>SBC11805 Bibliographic reference: PEVSNER N 1960 BUCKINGHAMSHIRE PP251-265 & ILLUS (FULL DESC, & ACCOUNT OF WORK SINCE HOUSE BECAME A.
  • <8>SBC10383 Map: Ordnance Survey. 1958. OS 1958 6IN MAP. 1:10,560.
  • <9>SBC16531 Bibliographic reference: WHISTLER L, GIBBON M & CLARKE G 1974 STOWE, A GUIDE TO THE GARDENS (HAS A FULL BIBLIOGRAPHY ON PP37-.
  • <10>SBC2990 Bibliographic reference: CLARKE G 1976 (JULY) SLIDES OF AIR PHOTOS TAKEN JULY 1976 FROM A BALLOON SHOWING FORMER GARDEN FEATU.
  • <11>SBC2991 Bibliographic reference: CLARKE G 1979 (DEC) LETTER RE ICE HOUSES (ON CAS FILE) ALSO OS 1880/5 6-INCH 1:10560 (1ST EDN).
  • <12>SBC8335 Unpublished document: MEEHAN J 1988 STOWE; ELYSIAN FIELDS TREE & LEVEL SURVEY (TYPESCRIPT REPORT & MAP, FILED).
  • <13>SBC16362 Bibliographic reference: WAINWRIGHT A 1989 NATIONAL TRUST ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY: STOWE (COPY, FILED).
  • <14>SBC3681 Bibliographic reference: DoE. 1983. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest.
  • <15>SBC9897 Bibliographic reference: NATTES C 1805-9 COLLECTION OF 105 SKETCHES & DRAWINGS OF STOWE (AT BCM).
  • <16>SBC16364 Bibliographic reference: WAINWRIGHT A 1993 REPORTS ON THE STOWE PYRAMID, THE SAXON DEITIES & THE SOUTH FRONT (COPIES, FILED).
  • <17>SBC4634 Bibliographic reference: English Heritage. 1994. REGISTER OF PARKS & GARDENS OF SPECIAL HISTORIC INTEREST IN ENGLAND: BUCKINGHAMSHIRE. Part 4.
  • <33>SBC22671 Bibliographic reference: English Heritage. 2006. English Heritage Register of Buildings at Risk 2006. p52.
  • <37>SBC19679 Bibliographic reference: English Heritage. 1999. English Heritage Register of Buildings at Risk 1999. p54.
  • <38>SBC19680 Bibliographic reference: English Heritage. 2001. English Heritage Register of Buildings at Risk 2001. p57.
  • <39>SBC19681 Bibliographic reference: English Heritage. 2002. English Heritage Register of Buildings at Risk 2002. p55.
  • <40>SBC22826 Unpublished document: Amanda Pickard. 2003. Stowe in the War. p7.
  • <72>SBC25177 Unpublished document: National Trust. 2018. Stowe Gardens: Report describing an archaeological watching brief during the demolition if of the rifle range in the Hawell Fields.

Location

Grid reference SP 67828 37539 (point) (Exact)
Civil Parish STOWE, Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (1)

Related Events/Activities (3)

  • Event - Survey: (EBC14100)
  • Event - Survey: Site visit (EBC13583)
  • Event - Intervention: Watching brief undertaken during demolition of the rifle range in the Hawkell Fields (Ref: ENA9155) (EBC18143)

Record last edited

Sep 12 2019 11:35AM

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