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. Pre-booking is essential. Please note that the Kelly Car land train and Boat 'The Dame' will not be operating.

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 subject to demand. We ask that you work with us to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience can be had by all visitors, and thank you for your ongoing cooperation.

The Coffee Shop is open daily 9am - 5pm and the Boathouse Café is open from 10am - 3pm (Mon-Fri) and from 10am - 4pm on weekends, both offering a grab-and-go takeaway offer.

The Castle Howard Farm Shop and Garden Centre are open daily from 10am - 5pm with social distancing measures in place. Both the Farm Shop and Garden Centre continue to offer a local delivery service too.

The main toilets in the Courtyard are open, including the accessible toilet, and the baby changing facility. You will see additional hand wash and hand sanitiser stations around the site which we encourage you to use.

The House remains closed until further notice.

We feel we need to act responsibly, and we have a duty of care to ensure the safety of our staff, visitors and local community in Ryedale at this critical time in trying to control the virus, we therefore thank you for patience whilst we implement our gradual reopening plan.

Thank you for your continued support at this challenging time.

Find out more and book now

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

The Farm Shop
The Castle Howard Farm Shop is open daily from 10am - 5pm with social distancing measures in place. Our Farm Shop is also offering a food ordering service (similar to the well known Click & Collect system) and a delivery service to local villages.
Find out more
The Garden Centre
The Castle Howard Garden Centre is open daily 10am - 5pm with social distancing measures in place. The Garden Centre continues to accept orders for collection or local delivery over the phone.
Find out more

Discover More

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
News
Our Heat Pump Project...
During lockdown we have been busy planning to expand our lake source heat pump system, so look out for some equipment along the North shore of the Dairy Pond as you visit over the next few weeks...
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