Castle Howard, York

14 miles. By bus including entry £15.
Pay the driver board at Bootham Bar, across from the tourist info.

This is where the TV series 'Brides-head Revisited' was filmed.
The castle grounds are worth walking round too.

4 more images

About 25 miles northeast of York is the lovely estate called Castle Howard. It is most famous as the site where "Brideshead Revisited" was filmed in 1981. It fits very well with the romanticized vision most of us Americans have of old England. The family still lives there. It is an amazing place and the rose garden was one of my all-time favorite gardens.

Take a day-trip to see Castle Howard. It's especially beautiful in the full glory on an english springtime, but the house is open year-round. There are regularly scheduled buses that go to Castle Howard, leaving every morning from the rail station. Ask at the tourist info office for schedules.

I have more tips and photos about Castle Howard on my North Yorkshire page.

Much of the area that the public sees a at first at Castle Howard is pretty formal but it does encompass 10,000 acres and a lot of the estate presents some very natural beauty. Surprisingly some is quite close to the castle itself.

It was early when we arrived and there was an English mist clinging to the ground. Immediately behind Castle Howard is a large expanse of lawn which leads to a lake. When I first saw it, however, I felt certain that at any moment the hounds would be emerging from fog over the moors. It was not until about an hour later that the placid lake pictured here finally revealed itself. Not a bad view to wake up to.

Castle Howard is truly remarkable.

I should probably stop right there (I won't, of course) because further description runs the risk of rampant over use of superlatives. The 18th century house is incredible on several levels not the least of which is the fact that it is still a private residence. The Honorable Simon Howard and his family, in fact, do live there although not necessarily throughout the entire facility.

A description of the 10,000 acre estate is futile here and I would suggest you check out their website below. It would certainly be possible to spend a day viewing the castle exhibits, including one describing the filming of Brideshead Revisited for PBS, and wandering the grounds and gardens. If you're anything like me, you'll take a briefer more non-directive approach and just try to soak it all in.

In the center of the formal garden in the front of Castle Howard is the Atlas Fountain. It is certainly one of the more spectacular water effects for a fountain that I have seen. It probably can't compete with the sculptural splendor of the likes of Trevi but for sheer volume and making a grand entrance this is pretty good.

The fountain itself was designed by W. A. Nesfield in 1850. The water for the fountain is completely gravity fed from a series of artificial lakes and reservoirs on the estate.

Castle Howard - This castle/stately home was built in 1699. It is still owned and run by the Howard family. It is located 15 miles northeast of York. Admission is #8 GBP per adult.
This is a beautiful house and gardens which are well worth a visit. The only down side we experienced was that you can only view the house on an escorted tour. We only had to wait a few minutes for the next tour to start but we still would of prefered to go round in our own time.

Visit Castle Howard. It can be a day trip easily to explore the castle and the beautiful grounds. The best way to get there is by driving as it is situated in the countryside. Beautiful.