On your trip to the Yorkshire Coast don't miss one of the most popular days out in Yorkshire - a visit to the beautiful Castle Howard garden and house...
We review our visit and tell you more...
For my birthday this year (2010) I chose a day out at Castle Howard.
Although it's not right on the Yorkshire coast, the house and gardens are an easy drive from the coast (especially from Scarborough)...
...and are well worth including in any days out in Yorkshire, as one of the most popular Yorkshire tourist attractions - a real 'don't miss' visit!
Castle Howard is a stately home with extensive gardens and grounds...
We've visited the Castle Howard garden and grounds many times, but on this occasion we thought we'd check out the inside of the house, too, for a change.
Courtyard Area
After parking your car, you enter the estate via the Courtyard - this is a great little area, with:
Farm Shop
Gift Shop
Craft Workshop
Book Shop
Chocolates
Flowers
Cafe
Toilets
Garden and Plant Centre (just outside and to the left (with your back to the gateway))
...and best of all, its totally free, so you can easily come to this bit, for a bite to eat, or a look round the shops, without having to pay the admission fee.
We've eaten several times in the Courtyard Cafe - a friendly, bistro style cafe, with lots of choice for meals, snacks, drinks and cakes.
Admission
The admission charges for getting into the main house and grounds are quite expensive:
At the time of writing (November 2010):
£12.50 per adult (House and Gardens)
£8.50 per adult (Gardens Only)
Concessions:
£10.50 (House and Gardens)
£8 (Gardens Only)
Child (5-16yrs):
£7.50 (House and Gardens)
£6 (Gardens Only)
Under 5's go free
Family tickets and Annual Passes are also available at a discount.
The visit is worth it though....
Days out in Yorkshire - The House
The house was lovely - the Howard family still live in the house, and actually use some of the rooms visitors can see.
You can walk around the house at your own pace, look at everything, and don't need to take a tour.
The house is really beautiful - very grand - with:
corridors full of Roman marble busts - I really liked these!
huge collections of fine china
beautiful bedrooms
dining rooms
study and library
look out for the very fine furniture
paintings by:
Pellegrini
Canaletto
George Stubbs
Sir Joshua Reynolds
Thomas Gainsborough
...amongst others
The Great Hall, site of the large dome, is particularly impressive, with beautiful frescoes by Antonio Pellegrini. This, together with the dome, was destroyed by a fire in 1940, and was rebuilt in the 1960's.
Brideshead Revisited
Proceeding upstairs, you visit a very interesting exhibition on the recent filming of Brideshead Revisited (2007) based on the novel by Evelyn Waugh.
Castle Howard was also the location for a Brideshead Revisited filming in 1981.
The filming allowed period rooms and some spectacular frescoes and artworks to be re-created in the upper rooms.
It's very interesting to see, and there's also lots of information all about the filming, and the original fire of 1940 that destroyed a large part of this fine house.
Temporary Exhibition
There was also a large and interesting exhibition on the former Lady of the House, Rosalind Howard, with collections of her paintings, drawings and letters...
...giving an interesting insight into her opinions and feelings on:
sex
marriage
the family
politics
temperance
...and how these fitted in with attitudes of the time.
The Chapel
Last but not least, don't miss the spectacular small chapel - a really beautiful little space, completely encrusted with decoration...
...and with a lovely peaceful atmopshere.
Here find:
decorations by Morris and Co.
embroidered screen by William Morris
frescoes by Charles Kempe
stained glass windows by Edward Burne-Jones
Days Out in Yorkshire - Castle Howard Gardens
After all that walking around the house, do save some time and energy for the beautiful gardens and grounds.
I really love the grounds at Castle Howard - there's so much to see, and the gardens are always lovely, no matter what time of the year you go.
Walled Garden
Don't miss the stunning rose gardens, particularly during the summer months, when they really are filled with beautiful blooms.
I also love the kitchen garden where carrots and cabbage do 'decorative' - very pretty and productive.
And stop for a minute to watch the brightly coloured Koi in the pond there.
The Gardens
Close to the house, see the giant fountain - the 'Atlas Fountain' - really stunning and spectacular!
Also look out for the ever-present peacocks - they can be quite friendly if they spy you with some food!
There's also a lovely lower pond and a walk to the enchanting Temple of the Four Winds.
Further Afield
If you are ready to explore a little further afield, do take a walk through the 'Ray Wood' woodland gardens.
And take a walk (or miniature land-train ride) to the lake. It's a beautiful spot where you can see:
ducks
swans
moorhen
Also by the Lakeside:
The Lakeside Cafe
Great for light snacks and hot and cold drinks
Take them outside on the deck if the weather's nice and enjoy the view of the lake
Kids Adventure Playground
Toilets
Boat Trips (seasonal)
Facilities
On this visit, we ate in the main Fitzroy Room self service restaurant. This is in the main house, but is accessible from outside (you don't have to have paid to go into the main house to use it!)
It is a self service restaurant, in a very 'refined' restaurant area, in a very pretty yellow.
Choose from:
sandwiches
salads
jacket potatoes
cake displays
I had a self serve salad with 2 fillings (tuna mayo and cheese) and Ian had a mixed sandwich selection, and we both had posh crisps.
We ate our meal outside (there's also inside seating), on garden tables and chairs with peacock accompaniment (to look at not to eat!!)
It was all very pleasant - the food was lovely and fresh - very tasty and plenty of it.
You can also eat at:
The Lakeside Cafe (seasonal opening)
The Courtyard Cafe (in the Stable Courtyard - before the admission gates)
There is a gift shop in the house too.
Dogs are allowed at Castle Howard:
Keep all dogs on a lead
Dogs are not allowed in the house (except registered assistance dogs)
Dogs are not allowed in the Adventure Playground.
Castle Howard is a great idea for days out in Yorkshire. It can get busy in Summer, but it's such a big place and there really is so much to see and do that:
you can easily fill a whole day
you won't get bored
you're sure to find a quiet corner of the estate to relax and unwind somewhere!
Days Out in Yorkshire - Castle Howard on the Map
Find Castle Howard off the main A64 Scarborough to York road, near Malton.
It is well signposted from the A64, so you should find it quite easily - do take care of several low and narrow gatehouses and archways you'll need to pass through on the approach.
This map is interactive.
Just use the + and - buttons in the top left corner of the map to zoom in and out.
Use the arrows to move about the area.
For a site plan of the Castle Howard Estate, click below...
