Good students are allowed into the library but bad students are rarely allowed through the door, and are kept in the ante-library. Mr Nichols reveals that “This office is the envy of all my colleagues in other schools.” It is a large room which he has divided into separate areas, one for hiring and firing, another for committee meetings and also a cosy area with sofas around the fireplace for socialising. ” says the headmaster, “Stowe is a wonderful place and very inspiring.” The Gothic Library now functions as his study. It was built in 1804-1805 and is one of only two interiors created by Sir John Soane. He seems to have inspired generations of enthusiasts – old Stoics around the world still send him postcards of volcanoes and caves, saying “Remember this?”Headmaster Jeremy NicholsIn his study in The Gothic Library”What we do here would be different if we were elsewhere … The classroom is arranged in a U-shape, encouraging students to participate. “There isn’t a gulf between the students and the teachers,” he says.

“In some places there is this great chasm between them and us, but not here – there never has been.” Dr Waldman has definitely made this room his own, with a huge collection of rocks on display He has donated many of them to the school. He enjoys working in a place that he describes as “one big happy family” and says that “the children are great fun, we have some good banter!” The State Dining Room has been in use for generations, and now forms “the hub of the school”, with Dougie masterminding the creation of 2,000 meals a day.Geography master Dr Mike Waldman, In his classroomDr Waldman has taught at Stowe for 29 years. Affectionately known as “Dougie”, he doesn’t have one bad word to say about the school. He arrived for his interview from Oxford University, which is a pretty impressive setting, but was knocked out when he came up the drive to Stowe. Please also include recent photographs (which you do not want returned) of your homes or offices.Head chef Douglas DallawayIn the State Dining RoomsMr Dallaway has been at Stowe for 13 years, having originally thought he’d only stay for one.

It is like a giant children’s playground, in one of the most beautiful settings in England. Perhaps it is wasted on this gang of teenagers, but even they couldn’t fail to be moved by the beauty of Stowe.Who’s in your house?If you are a group of people who live, or work, separately but within the same building and would like to be featured on this page, write to Who’s in the House?, The Independent Magazine, One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5DL, giving a contact phone number, your address, and details of the type of building you occupy. This attitude has been carried through to this day, on an increasingly lavish scale. The list of extra-curricular activities is particularly strong on art, design, drama and music. If you are a sporty Stoic you can join the polo team, play golf on Stowe’s own course, or run in the grounds. The first headmaster was John Roxburgh, an innovative educationalist interested in encouraging each individual’s particular talents. The public school opened on 11 May 1923 with just 99 boys, mostly aged 13.