Castle Howard - North Yorkshire (Pvt)
Despite it's grandeur, Castle Howard is a very welcoming place to visit, with the dual enticements of a splendid country house and varied and extensive gardens. Built over a hundred year period starting c.1699, it was unbelievably John Vanbrugh's first house design. As a fellow member of the famous Kit-Kat club in the fashionable London circles of the period, the 3rd Earl of Carlisle, Charles Howard, turned to Vanbrugh (also designer of Blenheim Palace) after disapproving of the plans drawn up by his first choice of architect, William Talman. Previously noted for his plays, Vanbrugh's correspondence to and from the Earl over the next quarter of a century proved his understanding of what was required and his collaboration with the experienced architect, Nicholas Hawksmoor, produced the Baroque building we see today. Starting with the Eastern wing, which is still lived in by the Howard family today, gradually the size of the building increased, with the central block and dome (the first stone dome in a domestic building in Britain) having been completed by 1706. The western wing of the Garden Front was finished by 1709 and by 1715, the house was complete, save for the West Wing. Vanbrugh died in 1726, while building had been diverted to the landscape, including the beautiful Temple of the Four Winds and his friend and patron, Charles Howard, died in 1738, before his planned Mausoleum had been completed.
The South Front
The 4th Earl did see the West Wing completed, but rather than continue building to Vanbrugh's symmetrical plans, he built to his brother-in-law, Sir Thomas Robinson's Palladian design, although he regretted this afterwards. So today, the North side of the building has two facing wings which contrast in style. During the nineteenth century, further work was carried out, notably the Long Gallery and the refurbishment of the Chapel between 1870-75, which aided the external symmetry of the whole. The Chapel has windows designed by Burne- Jones and three embroidered panels by William Morris.
An extensive fire in 1940 damaged much of the South-East Wing, destroying the Dome and the painted decoration there and in the Garden Hall by Pellegrini. These areas were rebuilt and re-decorated in 1960-62 and 1981 respectively and it was the filming of Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited which facilitated the latter and also brought Castle Howard to the attention of a great many of the British Public.
The Howard family came here through the inheritance of Lord William Howard, youngest son of Thomas, 4th Duke of Norfolk, by way of his wife, Elizabeth Dacre. His great-grandson, Charles, became the first Earl of Carlisle under Charles II, having played a canny game of opportunism and side-switching during the Civil War. His descendants continued his career in the political life of Britain, several holding important posts. The 4th Earl collected much of the antique sculpture now on display in the Antique Passage while on the Grand Tour around Europe and his son followed his lead in turn, this time acquiring many of the fine paintings on display throughout the house. The 9th Earl of Carlisle also added greatly to the artwork at Castle Howard, not only through his patronage and friendship with the leading talents of the late nineteenth century British art world, but also through his own paintings. In the Museum Room are examples of his work, showing a highly developed skill for the light effects of North Africa, Egypt and India.
To the south of the house was once an intricate parterre dating from the mid-nineteenth century, but replaced by grass and yew hedges. This area leads out into the landscape to include the wonderful Atlas Fountain and the nearby fountain in the lake, first turned on in 1853. On the beautiful early spring day on which we visited, the walks around the grounds were bordered by great swathes of daffodils and the extensive and intriguing Ray Wood was full of trees coming into bud.