Castle Howard: a home from home!

I’ve been a little quiet lately, and it’s because I’ve been away in the lovely county of Yorkshire. I couldn’t visit without sharing with you my visit to one of the best stately homes in the world (genuinely, not just my words!). Castle Howard is a little outside of York, in the vast countryside:

 History:

The house itself is actually only from the 18^th Century (between 1699 and 1712) and was built for the 3^rd Earl of Carlisle, after he inherited the land and ruins of a castle from his father. Sadly the whole house was not complete until 1811, as wings kept being added and the successive Earls didn’t survive for long enough!

In 1940 the house was completely devastated by a chimney fire, which caused the dome on the top of the house to collapse. Luckily, the pupils from Queen Margaret’s Girl’s School had been evacuated to the Castle during the war, and so they threw paintings and priceless objects out of the windows (!!) to people below, which saved many of them. Nearly a third of the building was left entirely open to the skies, and it took the fire brigades 8 hours to stop it burning.

Noooo!

It’s hard to describe before you read the rest of the review just how ornate the walls and ceilings are in the house; it is covered in head to toe with frescos. However, it was only in the 1960’s that all of the original paintings and the dome were restored, and restoration still continues to this day.

More recently, the Castle was home to both the 1980’s and more recent Brideshead Revisited series/films.

The Gardens:

We walked around here first, as the estate is so big it’s daunting! As well as wide, open fields and forest, the grounds also have several little gardens, such as the Rose Garden:

Sadly not very impressive on an overcast Spring day.

We  carried on walking, and then came to this:

The “Atlas” Fountain. It’s right in front of the Castle, and has so much water gushing onto it, it’s hard not to notice. It reminded me of Paris:

I want my wedding here!

A LONG walk later, past lakes and fields of daffodils:

We arrived at the “Temple of the four winds”, a little outhouse of sorts, that is a romantic setting for any TV series. Sadly it was too windy to pretend I was Elizabeth Bennett….

There are also other monuments, including a demolished “Venus Temple”, and a Mausoleum that is sadly off limits as it’s being restored. You can buy tickets to just the gardens, and I’d thoroughly recommend it if you fancy a walk or if you have a very energetic dog.

The House:

Before you get a look inside, let me just tell you of this fact: Castle Howard has 145 rooms, making it one of the largest historic houses in England. A History lover’s dream! Entry is £14 for adults (including the gardens).

The house only has part of its rooms open of course, but that is enough to make your jaw drop.

I mean, check out this bed!

Some rooms are very Downton Abbey-esque:

And the library is a joy to walk through, although does bottleneck all of the visitors. It became a bit of a squeeze!

Because the house is so big it’s light and airy and you want to take your time. It even has a little chapel, which sadly isn’t licensed for weddings:

Finally, we have the restored dome and central hall. This room is absolutely incredible:

On the top floors they have a Brideshead Revisited exhibition, but this leads out onto a balcony that tells you what all of the ceiling paintings are. They include the seasons, the star signs and several mythical stories:

I was very surprised that they didn’t have more Christian imagery, but it reflects the fashions of the 18^th and 19^th Centuries for more mythical and Baroque styles. Don’t forget to visit one of the four gift shops on the way out:

Verdict:

You need a car to get there, but this is one of the most worthwhile historical sites to visit. It’s the ideal stately home, and is unique in its size. I challenge you not to fall in love with it! I wonder if there are any single Carlisles?