Castle Howard

Castle Howard lies just outside the National Park in the Howardian Hills, fifteen minutes from Malton, but it is too close and too magnificent to leave out. Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle, commissioned it in 1699 from John Vanbrugh, a playwright who had never designed a building, working with Nicholas Hawksmoor. It took more than a century to finish, and nine generations of the Howard family have lived here since. 2026 marks 300 years since Vanbrugh's death, with a year of exhibitions and events.

The house

The Great Hall rises beneath a painted dome, destroyed in a fire in 1940 and restored in the 1960s. Beyond are grand state rooms, bedrooms, the Long Gallery lined with portraits and sculpture, and a chapel glowing with Pre-Raphaelite stained glass. Entry is by timed slot, and the house is best taken slowly.

The gardens and grounds

• The Atlas Fountain on the south front, and the South Lake and Great Lake beyond.
• Ray Wood, an ornamental woodland, and the rose-filled Walled Garden, open seasonally.
• The Temple of the Four Winds, Vanbrugh's last building, and Hawksmoor's great Mausoleum on the skyline beyond the New River Bridge.
• Skelf Island, an award-winning adventure playground for children.
• Dogs on leads are welcome in the gardens; only assistance dogs are allowed in the house.

Eating and shopping

The Courtyard has cafés, a farm shop and butchery, a garden centre and gift shops, and there is a café by the Boathouse on the Great Lake. Afternoon tea is served in the house on special dates.

On screen

Castle Howard played Brideshead in both the 1981 television series and the 2008 film of Brideshead Revisited, and it was the Duke of Hastings' Clyvedon in Bridgerton.

Castle Howard Arboretum

Across the road, the Arboretum has more than 7,000 trees from around the world, lakes, a red squirrel enclosure and an 11-acre off-lead area for dogs. It is run by the Castle Howard Arboretum Trust and ticketed separately. See our Castle Howard Arboretum page.

Getting there

Castle Howard is signposted from the A64 between York and Malton, postcode YO60 7DA. Allow most of a day, and book Christmas and special events well ahead.