Monument record 0420807003 - Ha Ha, Temple of Venus, Stowe

During 1995 work was undertaken to excavate and restore the section of the Ha Ha near the Temple of Venus. The earliest map evidence from 1753 shows the ha ha forming a tight rectangle around the temple, with the east and west wall parallel with the side walls of the temple. After 1754, the east and west walls were re-aligned to widen out the view from and to the building. The eastern section was discovered to survive in situ continuing to the point where it changes direction and joins to a length of wall near to the Eleven Acre lake. Some 26.5m in total length was found, and in some places surviving to 14 courses or 1.6m high. At the mid point there is a projecting butress. Repairs can be seen in the form of brick insertions. Little remains of the south section except some footings. A 1.2m section is missing where an iron fence was installed in the 1830s. The excavation work recovered the padstones for the iron fence. (1)
Along the east side of the bastion about half the original wall remains and this carried evidence of several interesting joints confirming that the wall had been re-aligned in the 1750s. (2)