The Grotto is a Grade II* listed building in the Buckinghamshire local planning authority area, England. First listed on 21 April 1983. Grotto. 1 related planning application.
The Grotto
- WRENN ID
- winding-cupola-lark
- Grade
- II*
- Local Planning Authority
- Buckinghamshire
- Constituency
- Buckingham and Bletchley MP: Callum Anderson (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 21 April 1983
- Type
- Grotto
- Address
- The Grotto, Stowe, MK18 5EH
- OS grid reference
- SP 676 375
- Coordinates
- 52.03181, -1.01533
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The Grotto at Stowe School is a Grade II* listed structure, dating from around 1740, possibly designed by William Kent. It features three rough stone arches and a pebble-lined basin. The Grotto was romanticised and buried around 1780. Inside, there is a central vaulted chamber with remnants of tufa lining and a niche in the rear wall. The structure also includes barrel-vaulted side chambers and entrance passages.
Local climate
The Grotto sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 730 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 79% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 78% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 35 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 60% of listed buildings. Of these, 17 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- Related listed building consents — 1 application
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.
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