The perfect balance...


Running a thriving independent school, set amidst some 880 acres of protected National Trust parkland, brings a unique set of challenges; but it is possible to find the perfect balance between conserving the past and building for the future. Stowe School’s state-of- the-art sporting facilities are testament to how that balance can be achieved, as highlighted by the recent installation of a modern athletics track


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s Grounds Manager at Stowe School, near Buckingham, no one knows the grounds of the historic estate better than Steve Curley. “The best thing about working here is the sheer beauty of the place. After seventeen years it’s easy to become complacent about your surroundings, but the reaction of first time visitors always reminds you just how lucky you are.”


It’s easy to see why Steve is so passionate about his place of work. The 200 acres of school grounds, for which he and his ten-strong team is responsible, are surrounded by the National Trust managed Stowe Landscape Gardens, hailed as one of the finest creations of Georgian England and a source of


inspiration for artists, writers and politicians since the 18th Century. The 200 acre slice of this historic estate for which Steve is responsible, therefore, has to be managed to meet the demands of a modern independent school, whilst remaining in harmony with the surrounding parkland. Managing these demands, in compliance with conservation orders on the park’s countless features, both natural and man- made, draws on all of Steve’s thirty years’ experience as a groundsman.


Extensive sporting facilities


Sport is at the heart of life at Stowe School. Pupils, 90% of whom board, participate in sporting activity on a daily basis. As a co-ed school, its extensive


facilities cater for both girls’ and boys’ sports throughout the year and include:


• Two non-turf, sand-based pitches • A 9 hole golf course • Eight rugby pitches • Five football pitches • Three lacrosse pitches • Seven cricket squares • Ten grass practice wickets • Ten non-turf practice wickets • Three tarmac tennis courts


• New Polytan Sandwich System athletics track


Steve’s career began at Chorlton-cum- Hardy Golf Club near Manchester, where


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