Chinese House, Stowe Gardens

The first few decades of the eighteenth century brought with them a growing interest in the far East. This interest came to full flower in the artistic style of chinoiserie, which resembles the rococo in its intricate patterns and elaborate decoration. Bevington notes that the Chinese House at Stowe was the first building in England constructed in the Chinese style. It appeared by 1738 in the northeastern part of what is now the Elysian Fields, near where the Seasons Fountain stands.
At the time, there was a rectangular pond in that area, and the Chinese House stood on stilts in the middle of it. The Seeley Guidebooks show engravings and include descriptions that indicate that the House was reached by a wooden bridge adorned with Chinese vases. According to Seeley, the interior housed "a Chinese Lady, as if asleep, her Hands covered by her Gown." The exterior was painted with Chinese scenes by Francesco Sleter.
Within ten years Lord Cobham removed the House and filled in the pond as he refashioned of the northern part of the Elysian Fields and began to develop the Grecian Valley. The Chinese House was taken to the family estate at Wotton, where it stayed until 1957 when it was moved to Ireland. The National Trust bought it in 1992, and it has been relocated at Stowe in the lower part of Lamport Fields below the Japanese Gardens.

The oldest surviving chinoiserie (Chinese-style) garden pavilion in Britain Western Europe's fascination with Chinese artistic influences led to the commissioning of the Chinese House which depicts Chinese scenes and writing. Constructed by 1738, it is thought to have been designed by William Kent and decorated by Francesco Sleter.A house on stilts
It was originally "situated in a pond" on poles, entered by "a bridge adorn'd with Chinese vases with flowers in them" between the Elysian Fields and Hawkwell Field.As the design of Stowe Gardens developed, the house was first moved to the family's nearby estate of Wotton, and then to Harristown House, Ireland in 1959. The painted decoration was refreshed and modified several times over the centuries.Returning to Stowe
After acquiring Stowe Landscape Gardens in 1989, the Chinese House was purchased following a fundraising campaign. It was unveiled to the public in 1998 in its new location near the Palladian Bridge, as the original location no longer exists. The figures on the interior walls were copied from paintings of Chinese deities and immortals, which were produced for
export to the WestPeeling back the layers
The Chinese House is made from pine panels fixed to an oak frame and decorated with oil paint. It is exceptionally vulnerable to extreme temperatures and humidity, driving rain and sunlight.In 2017, the exterior of the building underwent conservation work with flaking paint consolidated. The building was carefully cleaned and then given a protective layer of varnish. After a generous donation by the Royal Oak Foundation, the interior of the building was also cleaned, with flaking paint fixed back into place.Source: Local signage