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

Opening 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 remains closed due to a large filming project, and will not reopen to the public until 13th November. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes.

Pre-booking is essential.

Outlet Opening Times (from 9th October)

The Coffee Shop - Open daily 9am - 5pm

The Courtyard Cafe  - Open daily 10am - 5pm

The Boathouse Café - Open daily 10am - 4pm

Pizza Oven - Open weekends and half term only - 11am - 4pm

Fitzroy Cafe - Closed

House Gift Shop - Closed

 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 will not be operating until further notice.

Thank you for your continued support.

Find out more and book now

 Notice of partial closures due to ongoing filming & conservation

We have confirmed a filming contract that will take place at Castle Howard, which will mean a period of closure of the visitor attraction. We hope you will understand that the decision to take on the filming project has not been taken lightly and we have considered options very carefully. Filming will finish on 9th October but there will be large vehicles moving around the site until later in the month. We ask that visitors take care when walking around the Grounds.

Over the coming months we will be sharing progress of several Estate conservation projects, which will inevitably result in partial closures of certain areas at times. We will always endeavor to keep you updated prior to any closures and we hope you will understand the importance of these vital works!

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

Discover More

News
Castle Howard's Christmas event 'Christmas In Narnia' approaching fast
This year’s Christmas event; 'Christmas In Narnia', with enchanting artwork by Emily Sutton, is fast approaching. Read more to discover the exciting events taking place between the 13th of November a...
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News
Castle Howard gearing up for Christmas
Christmas at Castle Howard is a truely magical experience. Teams across the Estate come together to create a truly magical day out that has now been admired by visitors from across the world. Find out...
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News
New at Castle Howard - Prudie's Perfect Pumpkin Patch
Castle Howard launch a 'pick your own pumpkin patch' which opens from 9th October and will be open every day until Halloween from 10am.
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News
Halloween at Castle Howard
Whilst the gardens have been closed for filming, due to reopen on 9th of October, we have been busy behind the scenes putting the final plans together for a spooky Halloween at Castle Howard.
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News
Conserving the heritage of Castle Howard
As part of ongoing conservation work across the estate, the iconic Gatehouse designed as the entrance to Castle Howard by Sir John Vanbrugh in 1719 will undergo essential repairs.
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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...
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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...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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...
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