The South Vista, the principal axis of the garden since 1676, was once a formal garden, with parterres and a double avenue of white poplars. The parterres were swept away in the 1740s by 'Capability' Brown.

Considered one of the finest ever created, the new landscape made great use of light and shade, using trees like side-screens in a theatre and glints of sunlight to pick out details of the view. It remains the most idealised and beautiful model of the English Garden.

Main features of the South Vista

South Front - Lord Temple, a classical expert, refused to employ a sole architect and took charge himself. It took twenty years and half a dozen designers before it was completed, but now provides the grandest view on the Stowe estate.

The Doric, or Amelian Arch was erected by Earl Temple in 1770 as a surprise for his honoured guest, Princess Amelia, the aunt of George III.

The Octagon Lake has not been octagonal since the 1750s, after Earl Temple broke down the edges and removed a sixty foot obelisk at its centre.  

The Lake Pavilions are attributed to Vanbrugh. Behind the eastern pavilion is a lodge serving the Bell Gate, the main public entrance of the 18th and 19th centuries.