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Castle Howard on Film

Since the 1960s, Castle Howard has been used as a location for many film and television productions.
The House, beautiful grounds and wider estate are all ideal settings for costume dramas, feature films and documentaries.

Castle Howard: Through the Seasons on Channel 4

Everyday life on the Castle Howard Estate was put in the spotlight in 2022, as part of a four-part series on Channel 4, Castle Howard: Through the Seasons.

Following the staff, visitors and residents of Castle Howard, the series followed life from Easter to Christmas, capturing how the team managed the hottest summer on record, preparations for a spooky Halloween experience and the installation of the iconic 26-foot Christmas tree, plus pesky peacocks, puppies, and sheep also make entertaining cameos.

The full series is available to watch here

From 'Lady L' with Sophia Loren in 1965 and 'Barry Lyndon' directed by Stanley Kubrick in 1975, to the iconic 'Brideshead Revisited' in 1981 and 2008, the BBC's 'Death Comes to Pemberley' in 2013, to more recently ITV's 'Victoria' and the Arctic Monkeys' 'Four out of Five' Music video in 2018, Castle Howard has featured in both large and small scale film and television productions.

If you are considering Castle Howard for the location of your television programme, film, drama or photo shoot please click below for further information.

Film & Photo Shoot Enquiries

The Courtship is described as the ‘ultimate social experiment’ and takes its cues from classic period romances of page and screen such as Pride & Prejudice and Bridgerton, transporting American software engineer Nicole Remy to Regency-era Britain.
Inspired by Julia Quinn's bestselling novels, the Netflix original series was part filmed at Castle Howard in 2019 when the house doubled as the Duke of Hasting's country home, Clyvedon Castle. The siblings of the Bridgerton family look for love and happiness in London high society.
When Brideshead Revisited was first broadcast in 1981 it catapulted Castle Howard into the public eye and today, for many the House remains synonymous with Evelyn Waugh's iconic novel. Castle Howard reprised its role as the Marchmain's family home in 2008 when Miramax returned to Yorkshire to shoot Brideshead Revisited, the feature film.

Other Past Projects

Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties (2006): 

Jon Arbuckle (Breckin Meyer) travels to the United Kingdom, and he brings his cat, Garfield (voiced by Bill Murray), along for the trip. A case of mistaken cat identity finds Garfield ruling over a castle (Castle Howard), but his reign is soon jeopardized by the nefarious Lord Dargis (Billy Connolly), who has designs on the estate.

Great Estates (2000, 2001)

A series of hugely popular documentaries about Castle Howard and other estates in England, that provided a fascinating glimpse into all aspects of life at Castle Howard indoors, outdoors and behind the scenes.

A Year in the Life of Castle Howard (1996)

A six-part documentary about Castle Howard.

The Buccaneers (1994)

A BBC production of Edith Wharton's novel of the 19th century encounter between English aristocracy and wealthy American heiresses. Because of their "new money" background, four American girls have difficulty breaking into the upper-crust society of New York. Laura Testvalley, the governess of one of the girls, suggests a London season and thus the young women set sail for England and the unsuspecting English aristocracy.

Twelfth Night (1978)

A BBC production of one of Shakespeare's most popular comedies, and surprisingly the only time Castle Howard has been used for a Shakespeare play.

Brideshead Revisited (1981)

Granada TV's production of Evelyn Waugh's novel, starring Anthony Andrews, Jeremy Irons and Diana Quick, is recognised by many as one of the great costume dramas of all time. Although it is not certain that Waugh identified his Brideshead with Castle Howard, for many people the two buildings have come to epitomise a nostalgia for England before the Second World War. Find out more.

Barry Lyndon (1975)

Directed by Stanley Kubrick, based on the novel by William Thackeray. Redmond Barry is a young, roguish Irishman who's determined, in any way, to make a life for himself as a wealthy nobleman. Enlisting in the British Army, fighting in the Seven Years War in Europe, Barry deserts from the British army, joins the Prussian army, gets promoted to the rank of a spy, then becomes pupil to a Chevalier and con artist.

The Spy With a Cold Nose (1966)

A spoof cold war spy thriller starring Laurence Harvey with Castle Howard masquerading as the Kremilin in Moscow. The Russian Premier is presented with a British bulldog that has been fitted with a transmitter by Dr. Francis Trevelyan (Laurence Harvey).

Lady L (1965)

Directed by Peter Ustinov, and starring David Niven, Sophia Loren and Paul Newman in a tale of European anarchists and aristocrats. Lady Louise Lendale (Sophia Loren) is 80 years old and tells her long time admirer, British poet Sir Percy (Cecil Parker), all about her eventful life.

Castle Howard on Film