During renovation during the winter of 1998-99, the tufa facing was replaced, the interior floor and walls were repaired, and a gate was installed. Visitors to the garden should stop and notice that the National Trust has chosen to leave some of each layer of the façade visible in order to give a sense of the transformations that the building went through during its various remodelings. It is even possible to see the traces of the mural of Dido and Aeneas on the interior walls.

The poem tells the true story of Conway Rand, the Vicar of Stowe, being so taken with the "mysterious charms" of a young woman whom he saw swinging on a swing that he left the game of bowls he was playing and chased her through the garden. She attempted to hide in Dido's Cave, but the privacy of that place worked more to her pursuer's advantage than to hers. The poem does not go into detail about what happened when Rand caught up with her except that "the fierce Pursuer seiz'd the helpless Fair"; other accounts report that he later married her.

faculty.bsc.edu/jtatter/dido.html

Sasha Taylor

May 7, 2023

Dido's Cave or Temple is also an early eighteenth century creation. Originally to the classical style it was remodelled with tufa and rockwork in the late eighteenth century to give it a picturesque appearance.

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Elevation 160 m

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Location: Stowe, Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire, South East England, England, United Kingdom

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Dido's Cave

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