Feel like an English aristocrat touring one of Britain’s most magnificent mansions, privately owned by the Howard Family in North Yorkshire and where “Brideshead Revisited” was filmed. Fans of “Downton Abbey” and historic stately homes should add Castle Howard in North Yorkshire to their travel list.
Consistently ranking high on lists of the world’s best mansions, Castle Howard is one of the most magnificent homes in England and the story of the family who still keeps it running today, may remind you of the fictional Crawley family. Even the driveway, what’s called the Avenue, a five mile beech lined road, is more than impressive.
Once you reach Castle Howard, both the outside and inside are striking and there’s a world of intriguing stories and anecdotes. The architect, John Vanbrugh, was not only radical in his designs for Castle Howard and for even undertaking the role of architect for this massive project with no formal training in architecture, but equally daring throughout his life, spending time in prison for trying to overthrow the Catholic king, James II and writing a series of plays deemed by many as risky and sexually explicit.
It took more than one hundred years to complete Castle Howard and through this isn’t the home where Downton Abbey is filmed, it has been a private home for over 300 years and much like the fictional Crawley Family, the Howard clan has worked hard and become innovative in their methods of preserving this great estate. Castle Howard has served as the backdrop for a variety of productions, including the 1981 TV series and 2008 film version of “Brideshead Revisited.” It’s also open to visitors. So if you want to live out your British aristocratic fantasy for just one day, visit Castle Howard and stand in awe of its beauty and all its historic eccentricities.
For your curiosity, here is a list of films and televisions filmed at Castle Howard.
To get more travel inspirations in Yorkshire, check out our previous post here.
