Welcome

Generations of the Howard family have welcomed visitors to Castle Howard, one of the great palaces of Europe, for over 300 years and today we extend this warm welcome to you.

"Nobody... had informed me that I should at one view see a palace, a town, a fortified city, temples on high places, woods worthy of being each a metropolis of the Druids, vales connected to hills by other woods, the noblest lawn in the world fenced by half the horizon, and a mausoleum that would tempt one to be buried alive; in short I have seen gigantic places before, but never a sublime one."  Horace Walpole 1772

COVID-19 Update

The Gardens and Skelf Island Adventure Playground are open daily, from 10am (9am for Friends of Castle Howard) with last admission at 4pm.

The House is open daily with free flow admission 10.30am - 1pm, with a daily guided tour at 2pm.

Pre-booking is essential.

Our team will be managing the capacity of the adventure playground area at busy times. This may mean that you will be asked to queue or limit the time you spend on the playground to 2 hours subject to demand. Thank you for your ongoing cooperation.

The Coffee Shop is open daily 9am - 5pm

The Boathouse Café is open from 10am - 3pm (Mon-Fri) and from 10am - 4pm on weekends

The Fitzroy Café is open with table service for al fresco elevenses, light lunches and cream teams  from 11am - 4pm.

 The Castle Howard Farm Shop and Garden Centre are open daily from 10am - 5pm with social distancing measures in place.

Our outlets are currently all operating on a 'cashless' basis as part of our Coronavirus Safety Policy. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes.

The Courtyard and Boathouse toilets are open, including the accessible toilet, and the baby changing facility.There are additional sanitisier stations around the House and Gardens,

Please note that the Kelly Car land train and Boat 'The Dame' will not be operating until further notice.

We are required to record the information of all visitors over the age of 16 for Test & Trace, which will be kept for a period of 21 days. Please download the NHS Test & Trace app prior to arriving so you can scan the QR code upon entry. Details can also be taken manually on site if you don't have access to this service. 

Thank you for your continued support.

Find out more and book now

"One of the top 10 buildings you must visit in your lifetime" The Telegraph, 2018

Discover More

News
Castle Howard launches Estate gin in partnership with local business Sloemotion Distillery
Spirits are high at Castle Howard as the historic Yorkshire estate launches a new premium quality gin in partnership with local business Sloemotion Distillery. Inspired by both the 8000acre estate and...
View full story
News
British artist, Sarah Gillespie will present 'Moth' at Castle Howard
British artist, Sarah Gillespie will present 'Moth' at Castle Howard in the Courtyard Gallery from Saturday 29th May - Sunday 5th September.
View full story
News
Summer Concerts Confirmed for August at Castle Howard
The government’s roadmap to recovery has given hope that audiences can return to three of Yorkshire’s largest al fresco events. Castle Howard’s live music weekend – featuring the chilled sounds of Ib...
View full story
News
Castle Howard receives lifeline grant from Government’s £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund
Almost 450 heritage organisations in England, including Castle Howard have been awarded cash from the first round of the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage. Grants of up to £1 million will deliver a ...
View full story
News
Yorkshire Cancer Research helps 'give cancer the boot' with stunning welly themed art installation at Castle Howard
Yorkshire Cancer Research has launched a new art installation at Castle Howard, to help raise awareness of its mission to save lives in Yorkshire.
View full story
Blog
The Atlas Fountain
By Dr Chris Ridgway  //  Sat 27th June
Gardens, Landscape, History
Following some routine maintenance & cleaning, the Atlas Fountain is back up and running. The South Parterre at Castle Howard has been dominated by this massive piece of Victorian sculpture and engine...
View full story
Blog
Castle Howard Celebrates 75 Years of Brideshead Revisited
By Dr Chris Ridgway  //  Fri 29th May
Curatorial, History, Collection, Estate, Brideshead
Seventy-five years ago, in May 1945, just three weeks after VE Day, Evelyn Waugh’s novel Brideshead Revisited was published. Little did anyone, including the author, know how it would turn into an end...
View full story
Blog
Arriving at Castle Howard
By Dr Chris Ridgway  //  Fri 15th May
Curatorial, History, Collection, Estate
In this personal reflection Curator Dr Chris Ridgway ponders the impact and significance of the famous Castle Howard Avenue, and tries to recapture the experience of seeing it for the first time, and ...
View full story
Blog
Remembering VE Day: The 75th Anniversary
By Dr Chris Ridgway  //  Thu 7th May
Curatorial, History, Collection, Estate
On VE Day, 8th May 1945, Castle Howard, like countless homes, places emerged from six long years of conflict. During these years the building had been ravaged by fire, the Howards had suffered family ...
View full story
Blog
National Gardening Week
By Alastair Gunn  //  Wed 29th April
Gardens, Landscape, History
Today marks the start of National Gardening Week. This video was produced last year for our new audio digital guide, and we thought now might be the perfect time to share it. Our Head of Gardens and...
View full story