Stowe School and House

I was not sure what to expect during our visit to Stowe School and House.  The connotations surrounding 'Public Schools' in the U.K. perhaps influenced any expectations or preconceived notions I might have had.  Whatever I thought Stowe House would be, I was pleasantly surprised by what it actually was.
     The library is small and gorgeous, with an amazing view of the grounds.  The house was built by the Temple- Grenville family in the late eighteenth century.  Thriving during the latter part of the eighteenth and early nineteenth century, family debts forced several large sales of the houses contents during the later nineteenth century.  Eventually the estate was sold in the early 1920s to a group with the intention of founding a public school, and Stowe School was founded in 1922.  Efforts have been made to restore the buildings and rooms, including the library, with their original designs and features.  While this is a wonderful testament to the preservation of cultural heritage, it does put severe limitations on adaptation for modern use.
     While aesthetically the library is appealing, functionally I cannot see how it works.  Given that the school has around 800 students, the space and certainly the resources seem inadequate.  Even with the appropriation of space from an adjoining room for presenting general fiction collections, the actual shelf space for collections was limited.
      And I cringed, when the librarians talked about the space being utilized for the students leaving party.  Teenagers, young adults, whatever you want to call them, partying, with food and drink, in a confined space housing library materials.  Oh, the horror.  I know that the topic of food and drink in libraries is a continuing one, but I cannot stand it.  It hurts to walk through my library and see patrons with a menagerie of food and beverages, and not be able to do anything about it.  Just knowing the types of pests that the smallest traces of crumbles and residue can attracts is enough to make me scream.  But to allow such a thing in a historic building, where the consequences of an infestation would have a much more far reaching and costly toll is almost unthinkable.  I suppose that is the world we live in today.
     However, I can completely understand how the librarians would be able to deal with space restrictions, and possible teenagers induced food accidents.  If I had the view that they do, I would find a way to deal with those issues too.  The grounds at Stowe are simply breathtaking.  They are a wondrous mix of meticulously manicured and charmingly rambling, and are one of the estates best features.