Castle Howard the History the Howard Family Have Lived at Castle
“Nobody had informed me that at one view I should see a palace, a town, a fortified city, temples on high places, woods worthy of being each a metropolis of Druids, the noblest lawn in the world fenced by half the horizon, and a mausoleum that would tempt one to be buried alive: in short I have seen gigantic palaces before, but never a sublime one.” Horace Walpole, 1772
The History
The Howard family have lived at Castle Howard ever since it was built for them over 300 years ago and today it remains a family home.
Set in the rolling Howardian Hills of North Yorkshire, Castle Howard was commissioned by the 3rd Earl of Carlisle and designed by the dramatist John Vanbrugh, with the assistance of architect Nicholas Hawksmoor, in 1699. The exuberant facades, grand interiors and formal parklands of Castle Howard took over 100 years to complete, spanning the lifetimes of three Earls.
The house’s contrasting Baroque and Palladian wings are surmounted by a dramatic masonry dome, the first of its kind to crown a private residence in England.
On 9 November 1940, several of the rooms were lost to a fire which swept through the south-east wing into the Great Hall, destroying the dome and nearly twenty rooms. The schoolgirls of St Margaret’s School, who were evacuated to Castle Howard during the war, helped retrieve precious paintings and antiques from the house.
Today, the south-east wing remains a shell but the Garden Hall and High South Rooms have been turned into sets and exhibition space and opened to the public after their use in both television and film adaptations of Brideshead Revisited.
The House
Successive generations have welcomed visitors to the house and it was first opened to the public by George Howard & his wife Lady Cecilia Fitzroy in 1952. It is our continuing
success as a tourist attraction and the income this generates that makes possible the endless tasks of preservation, restoration and renovation throughout the house & grounds.
The east wing remains the private residence of the Howard family with the rest of the house open to the public; almost 250,000 visitors pass through the doors each year.
Exhibitions in the house include: ‘Duty Calls: Castle Howard in Time of War’, ‘Brideshead Restored’ and a small display about the relationship between the Howard family and William Morris.
Today the Great Hall is also licensed for weddings; ceremonies in the hall can be followed by dinner and dancing in the Long Gallery.
The Gardens
Set in almost 1,000 acres, Castle Howard’s gardens and parkland are a mixture of sweeping vistas, lakeside terraces, woodlands, temples, statues and formal gardens.
In the 18th century walled garden enjoy a stunning collection of heritage roses, with arbours, herbaceous borders and a carp pond creating the perfect place of tranquillity. In the ornamental vegetable garden, sweet pea wigwams sit amongst the vegetable patches filled with traditional English garden crops which supply the farm shop & cafés
The imposing Atlas Fountain dominates the south parterre, which also boasts an impressive collection of lead statues, lakes and terraces with the Temple of The Four Winds giving stunning 360 degree views of the surrounding hills and monuments.
Ray Wood houses a prestigious collection of rhododendrons as well as glades of Pieris, wild roses, magnolias, hydrangeas, viburnums, maples and rowans which sit alongside rare botanical finds from around the world.
Free daily garden tours take place during high season.
By the Great Lake, a high energy adventure playground provides hours of fun for visiting families.
The Estate
The Castle Howard Estate, which features over 200 listed buildings and monuments, is just15 miles north-east of York. The estate is approximately 8,800 acres (3,561 ha), comprising of farmland, woodland, parkland and property; the diversity of activities from agriculture to the holiday park and let properties all help to generate vital income.
Important monumental features include:
The Mausoleum Built from 1728-42 to Nicholas Hawksmoor’s design and supervised by William Etty. The Mausoleum rises 90ft into the air and is supported by a colonnade of twenty pillars. Inside, beneath the large circular chapel is a vault containing 63 catacombs. The Mausoleum remains the private burial place of the Howard family.
The Pyramid Designed and built by Nicholas Hawksmoor in 1728, this four-sided pyramid measure 9 meters high. Hollow inside it contains a large bust of Lord William Howard, the 3rd Earl’s great-great-great grandfather and Tudor founder of the Carlisle branch of the Howard family.
The Gatehouse Built originally as a pyramid arch by Sir John Vanbrugh in c.1718, the flanking wings were added by Sir Thomas Robinson in 1756-58, after which the building became an inn.
The Stray Walls Mock fortification walls built c.1720 by Sir John Vanbrugh. Built from limestone and spanning half a mile to the east and west of the Gatehouse, the walls measure four metres high and have square and circular interval towers of different styles.
The Obelisk Built in 1714-15 by Sir John Vanbrugh. The square sandstone shaft rises 24 metres high and has a pointed apex. It bears two inscriptions, one in Latin to the victories of the Duke of Marlborough and the second in English to the building achievements of the 3rd Earl of Carlisle and his aspirations for himself and his family.
Carrmire Gate Designed and built in c.1726 by Nicholas Hawksmoor. A crenellated mock- medieval limestone curtain wall with polygonal end turrets and triple keystone archway beneath a pediment flanked by square piers topped with slender pyramids.
Seventh Earl’s Monument Erected in 1869-70 to the design of Frederick Pepys Cockerel to the memory of George Howard, 7th Earl of Carlisle (1802 – 1864), and paid for by public subscription. A sandstone column stands on a stepped platform with heraldic devices at the corner. Standing at 30 metres tall and topped with a metal superstructure.
Shops & Cafés
The Stable Courtyard provides a shopping and eating destination for locals and tourists alike with a farm shop, gift shop, book and toy shop, garden centre, coffee shop and café. Open year round and with free admission, the courtyard is a popular hub for cyclists and walkers.
Within the grounds there is an additional gift shop, main restaurant and boathouse café with ice cream kiosk by the lake and adventure playground. In the summer, boat trips on the lake sail from the boathouse decking.
Events
There is a changing programme of annual events with highlights including; family focussed Easter activities, The Proms Spectacular, a flower festival, triathlon, monthly courtyard markets (from April to October), a Halloween event and Christmas opening.
On Film
For many, Castle Howard is synonymous with Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited having featured in both the 1981 Granada adaptation and the Miramax feature film in 2008 as the home of the fictional Marchmain family. The story of the filming of both adaptations is revealed in an exhibition in the house ‘Brideshead Restored’.
Castle Howard has also featured in:
Death Comes To Pemberley (BBC, 2013) Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties (Film, 2006) The Buccaneers (BBC, 1994) Twelfth Night (BBC, 1978) Barry Lyndon (Film, 1975) The Spy With a Cold Nose (Film, 1966) Lady L (Film, 1965)
Awards
Hudson’s Heritage Award 2014: Best WW1 Event (as part of the Yorkshire Country House Partnership’s series of exhibitions and events at nine historic houses across Yorkshire) Visit York Tourism Award 2014: Large Visitor Attraction Welcome to Yorkshire, White Rose Award 2013: Large Visitor Attraction
Opening Dates
The grounds and stable courtyard are open year round with the house open from Saturday 21 March to Sunday 1 November 2015 and then for Christmas from Saturday 21 November to Wednesday 23 December 2015.
For press enquiries, filming, photography or image requests please contact Hannah Cooke, Press Manager - [email protected] | 01653 648647 | 07816 147619
www.castlehoward.co.uk
www.facebook.com/castlehoward | www.twitter.com/CastleHowardEst | www.instagram.com/castle_howard