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Castle Howard


York, Yorkshire, YO60 7DA

t:01653 648333
w:www.castlehoward.co.uk

This virtual palace was the first great work of the architect Sir John Vanbrugh in 1699 for Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle. Arguably the finest Baroque stately home in Britain, with a spectacular Great Hall under the painted and gilded dome 80 feet high. It contains fabulous collections of paintings and, notably, classical sculpture. Known to many as the location of 'Brideshead' in the television series and now in the recently launched new feature film.

Features: The park is designed on a heroic scale covering 1,000 acres. The gardens, with their formal baroque layout between two lakes and famous Prince of Wales Fountain, also include such memorable sights as the Temple of Four Winds, the Cascade and the Mausoleum. The Walled Garden has collections of old and modern roses, and Ray Wood has a unique collection of rhododendrons, rare trees, magnolias and azaleas.

Visitor Opening TimesBack to top


2010: House: 13 Mar-31 Oct & 27 Nov-19 Dec, daily, 11am-4pm (last admission). Gardens: All year, daily from 10am (closed Christmas Day). Stable Courtyard: (Gift Shops, Farm Shop, Chocolate Shop, Plant Centre, Café): All year, daily, 10am-5pm, free admission. Special tours to newly restored rooms in the house are available by arrangement.

Please contact the property for up to date opening times

Film LocationsBack to top

Castle Howard & Brideshead Revisited

For 6 weeks in the summer of 2007, Castle Howard played host to filming of the new movie, Brideshead Revisited. As in the 1981 ITV production of the same name, Castle Howard featured as Brideshead Castle, home to the aristocratic Marchmain family.



To mark this filming, Castle Howard has a major new exhibition: \"Brideshead Restored\". Stretching over three once-abandoned rooms, the exhibition explores the new film of Brideshead Revisited, and how formerly glorious rooms were ruined in a fire in 1940, and used as a space for sets for the film.



\"Brideshead Restored\" will give visitors a chance to look behind the scenes at the making of the film, and see the sets up close, including the four-poster bed so central to the climax of the story of Brideshead Revisited. The exhibition is located in the High South: rooms abandoned after the 1940 fire, and used to construct sets for the film. Visitors can walk through the locations before they see the film, and see amazing pictures from the movie - both stills from the action, and a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the filming process.



The new film of Brideshead Revisited came out in Britain on 3rd October. The cast is led by Matthew Goode as Charles Ryder, Ben Whishaw as Sebastian Flyte and Hayley Atwell as Julia Flyte, with Emma Thompson and Michael Gambon as Lord and Lady Marchmain. Brideshead Revisited is directed by Julian Jarrold, from an adapted screenplay by Andrew Davies and Jeremy Brock, from Evelyn Waugh's 1945 celebrated novel of the same name.



The exhibition also tells the story of the 1981 Granada Television production of Brideshead Revisited, also filmed at Castle Howard and starring Jeremy Irons, Anthony Andrews and Diana Quick. Visitors can uncover how Evelyn Waugh's novel came to be filmed at Castle Howard not once but twice, and compare the old and new versions of Brideshead Revisited.

Wedding FacilitiesBack to top

Civil Ceremony and Wedding Reception

Weddings: Civil Ceremonies are available at the Temple of the Four Winds, and wedding receptions in the House and Gardens.

Please contact Lisa Parker-Gomm for more details. Tel: 01653 648623, E-mail: lparker-gomm@castlehoward.co.uk



AccommodationBack to top

Accommodation Types: Camp Site, Lodge
Holiday Home Park - Located within the estate village of Coneysthorpe, and just a short distance from Castle Howard the Lakeside Holiday Park is the perfect retreat for peace and tranquility.

Camping & Caravanning - If you are seeking a quiet getaway, then the camping and caravanning site at Castle Howard is perfect for you. This peaceful site is situated between the village of Conneysthorpe and Castle Howard's Great Lake.

Visit www.castlehoward.co.uk for more information

Open for visits

Also available at Castle Howard

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Nearby HHA Properties

Hovingham Hall (4  miles)
Birdsall House (7  miles)
Sutton Park (8  miles)
Scampston Hall (9  miles)
Brockfield Hall (9  miles)