Castle Howard

Castle Howard is an 18th century historic house with grounds, 15 miles north-east of York in North Yorkshire.

Yorkshire's finest stately home, belonging to the Howard family, dates from the early 1700s and is set with 1000 acres of Grade I listed pleasure grounds. Used in the filming of Brideshead Revisited and Death comes Pemberley, the house has magnificent interiors and architectural features. There are collections antique sculptures, paintings, ceramics and furniture.

The self-guided tour of the house takes visitors through the long gallery and up the grand staircase and through the bedrooms, the music room, the garden hall, Crimson dining room, the Turquoise Drawing Room, the museum room, the octagon and through the pre-Raphaelite style Anglican chapel. Friendly knowledgeable room guides are on hand to tell you about the rooms or answer any questions.

The Exhibition wing has a number of exhibits on at any one time. Currently there is an exhibit about the filming of Brideshead revisited and the restoration of the house and about how the house was used in the war and the family war experiences.

The idyllic gardens are on a par with the house and include a walled garden with vegetables and cut flowers including a rose garden and twenty-five acres of woodland garden plus lakes, statues, follies, temples, parterres and lots of ornamental water features including fountains. Visitors can take boat trips on the lake during Summer months (weather permitting) and there are daily free guided tours of the gardens between March and October. There is also a land train which takes visitors between different parts of the grounds.

A large children's adventure playground is situated near the Boathouse Café and lake. The wider estate covers nearly 9,000 acres with miles of footpaths and bridleways to explore.

There is free access to 18th century Stable courtyard and garden centre without needing to pay any entrance fees. The Stable courtyard has a number of shops and places to eat and drink including the farm shop, bookshop, Carriage house shop, Courtyard Café and Coffee shop.

• Free car parking.
• Farm shop with butcher's counter, delicatessen, bakery, alcohol, farm produce and gift foods and hampers.
• Carriage house shop selling home wares, fashion, accessories, toys and gifts.
• Bookshop.
• House gift shop selling ceramics, books, prints, accessories, toys and gifts.
• Garden centre and tree nursery.
• Courtyard Café with table service serving meals, snacks and drinks.
• Coffee shop serving cakes, snacks, ice creams and drinks.
• The Fitzroy room serving snacks, lunches, cakes and drinks.
• The Boathouse Café serves snacks, cakes, beer, ice cream and tea and coffee.
• Dogs welcome on leads in the grounds.
• Free WiFi in the Courtyard Café.

Opening Times & Ticket Prices:

• Please visit the Castle Howard website for opening times and prices.

Before you start your journey to Castle Howard for your day out, we recommend that you check their website or contact them to confirm opening times and admission prices.

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