Stowe House is one of the UK’s most significant heritage sites, set in the heart of Buckinghamshire. Once home to dukes and politicians, it now opens its doors to visitors for tours, events, and learning.
For years, the House’s digital presence sat within the wider Stowe School website. When the team decided it was time to give Stowe House a home of its own, they came to HDK.
Main photo: Stowe House Preservation Trust / Megan Taylor
Stowe House Preservation Trust needed more than a new website. Because the House sat within a school, its digital presence had always lived under someone else’s roof, and its visual identity followed National Trust guidelines, limiting the team’s ability to express what made Stowe House distinctive.
The Trust needed an independent brand and website that would position the House as a destination in its own right, give the team control over their own content and visitor journeys, and make the archive more accessible to researchers and enthusiasts.
We started with the brand. Working closely with the Stowe House team, we developed a new visual identity drawn directly from the building itself: its textures, colours, patterns, and iconography. The result is something genuinely bespoke, rooted in the character of the place rather than borrowed from a broader institutional framework.
From there, we designed and built a new WordPress website from the ground up. Workshops with the team helped us map user flows, define content priorities, and understand what different types of visitors would need from the site. The sitemap was completely rethought, copy was rewritten to reflect the new brand tone, and careful attention was paid to accessibility and load speed throughout.
Visitors can now explore the House, its collections, and its surroundings, and book tickets directly through the site. Two ticketing pathways were integrated: one for general admission including house tours and the visitor centre, and one for specific events throughout the year. We also built a digital collections section, giving researchers, academics, and curious visitors access to the archive for the first time online.
Brand identity development drawn from the textures, colours, and iconography of Stowe House.
Workshops with the client team to map user flows and content priorities.
Full WordPress website design and build from the ground up.
Rethought sitemap and simplified user journeys.
Copy rewritten to reflect the new brand tone.
Dual ticketing integration for general admission and events.
Digital collections archive built for researchers and enthusiasts.
Accessibility and performance improvements throughout.
The result is a website and brand identity that positions Stowe House as a destination in its own right for the first time.
Brand identity
A new visual identity developed from the building itself, using the textures, colours, patterns, and iconography of Stowe House to create something genuinely distinct.
Dual ticketing integration
Two ticketing pathways integrated into the site: general admission for house tours and the visitor centre, and a separate pathway for events.
Digital collections archive
A public-facing archive giving researchers, academics, and visitors access to the House’s collections online for the first time.
Accessibility and performance
Improved load speeds and accessibility built into the design and development process from the outset.
Thank you so much - it looks fantastic, and we're truly happy with the result. Working with the HDK team has been an absolute pleasure. Everyone has been incredibly professional, friendly, patient, and helpful, and we've always felt that our best interests were at the heart of every decision.'
