Castle Howard

28/10/2026

Autumn brings a new kind of Baroque drama to Castle Howard. 🍂

There are few seasons in which nature and architecture complement one another so well.

This short carousel of views shows how magical it can be when golden light rests on the Estate, and Castle Howard’s magnificent architecture takes on an entirely new kind of beauty.

📷: Carole Poirot

Image 1: Stone temple and bridge framed by golden autumn foliage.
Image 2: Classical stone statues overlooking the sweeping autumn landscape.
Image 3: Magnificent fountain surrounded by autumn trees beneath a dramatic golden sky.
Image 4: Weathered stone columns framing classical statues and picturesque countryside.
Image 5: Vibrant autumn trees overlooking Castle Howard.

27/10/2026

A little inspiration for the shorter days, from the English countryside 🍂

For anyone dreaming of a countryside escape, here are two of our Estate Cottages: Beau Repaire captured in the autumn and Coral Cottage in winter.

Since there's no better backdrop than a countryside cottage when it comes to getting away (and with dates still available in the coming weeks), we're championing slower mornings, long lunches and walks that end somewhere cosy.

All our cottages come furnished with vintage pieces from Castle Howard and carefully chosen contemporary furnishings for all the comforts of a premium English country home. Our cottages are dog friendly and a day entry pass to Castle Howard (when staying 3 nights or longer) and a £20 voucher to spend at Castle Howard's farm shop are also included.

For further information, navigate to the ‘Stay’ menu on our website.

Beau Repaire 📷: Carole Poirot
Coral Cottage 📷: Castle Howard

Image Descriptions:
Image 1 Beau Repaire exterior: A charming stone cottage surrounded by autumn foliage and apple trees.
Image 2 Beau Repaire living room: Warm, colourful living room with rich red walls, patterned cushions and elegant furnishings.
Image 3 Beau Repaire Bedroom: Cosy bedroom featuring floral bedding, patterned wallpaper and warm lighting.
Image 4 Beau Repaire Entrance: Adorable dog peeking through a white picket gate.
Image 5 Coral Cottage Exterior: Picturesque stone cottage with snow-covered rooftops and a white picket fence.
Image 6 Coral Cottage Living Room: Bright country living room with comfortable sofas, antique furniture and colourful textiles.
Image 7 Coral Cottage Bedroom: Elegant bedroom with patchwork bedding, floral artwork and soft pink accents.

25/10/2026

Three bedrooms, three wallpapers. Which is your favourite?

The hand-painted 'Abbotsford' Chinese-style wallpaper in Lady Georgiana's Dressing Room given by De Gournay, the beautiful rose branch paper of the Castle Howard Dressing Room, or the iconic goose-patterned in the Archbishop’s Bedroom?

🌸 The flowering bushes of peonies, finger citron, prunus, camellia and chrysanthemum featured in the design in Lady Georgiana's Dressing Room would have been largely unknown to Western eyes - all rare and highly prized in 18th century Oriental gardens.
💡 Purchased in 1884, the moody bronze-brown-toned paper of the Castle Howard Dressing Room would likely have once been shiny and golden, chosen to brighten the naturally dark room.
🎨 The goose paper was purchased by the 9th Countess in the 1880s, and adds distinctive flair to this grand bedroom that was used as a filming location for Bridgerton Season 1. This is a private room not always open to visitors.

Image Descriptions:
Image 1: An elegant, historic interior featuring ornate chinoiserie wallpaper with birds and floral motifs, a gilded mirror and decorative wall sconce, a carved marble fireplace, and an antique wooden cabinet displaying blue-and-white porcelain vases.
Image 2: An elegant historic interior featuring rich brown chinoiserie wallpaper, gold-framed floral paintings, pink panelling, a marble fireplace, and antique furnishings.
Image 3: An elegant historic interior featuring golden chinoiserie wallpaper, a marble fireplace, porcelain figurines, a gilded mirror, and antique furniture, creating a timeless, luxurious atmosphere.

📷
Lady Georgiana's Dressing Room - De Gournay
Archbishop's Bedroom - Chris Horwood
Castle Howard Dressing Room - Chris Horwood

24/10/2026

As the clocks go back, here’s a different type of clock change 🕰️

23/10/2026

22/10/2026

Pilates classes at the Castle Howard Arboretum 🍂

We are delighted to introduce a series of one-hour Pilates and intelligent movement sessions set within the peaceful surroundings of the Arboretum, where nature becomes an integral part of the experience. These sessions are run by Sarah Sykes of Architecture of Movement.

Your booking includes Arboretum admission and a hot drink to enjoy after the session.

📅 Upcoming sessions:
Saturday 31 Oct
Monday 2 Nov
Wednesday 11 Nov
Saturday 21 Nov
Monday 23 Nov

22/10/2026

Not all trees sound the same...🍃
Sound on 🔊
🌳From first, to last... some like to shout (Shagbark Hickory, Carya ovata), while others let the birds do the talking (Serbian spruce, Picea omorika). We have our mighty but quiet ones (Ermans Birch, Betula ermanii) and those that gently shimmer (Freemans Maple, Acer × freemanii). 🌳

Will you be visiting the Arboretum trees at their seasonal best?

Video description:
A magnificent Shagbark Hickory with brilliant golden-yellow autumn foliage makes a loud, dramatic sound in the wind, followed by a Serbian spruce with dense evergreen foliage that moves only slightly in the wind, with layered branches, rich green needles, and only the sound of birdsong. Next, an elegant Erman's Birch with distinctive pale, peeling bark and elegant, multi-stemmed, spreading branches makes little sound; to end, a young Freeman's Maple displays autumn shades of green, orange, and red, and its vibrant seasonal colour makes a soft rustling sound in the wind.

21/10/2026

The Great Lake at dawn.

📸 Nick Howard

Image description:
A misty dawn settles over the Great Lake at Castle Howard, where a line of ducks glides across the still water and the House's iconic dome emerges softly through the fog in the distance.

20/10/2026

Here are two portraits of Castle Howard Countesses, captured by Gainsborough and Reynolds, just a decade apart. 🎨

- The 4th Countess born Isabella Byron by Gainsborough, (the second wife of the 4th Earl in 1743), wearing blue.
- The 5th Countess born Caroline Leveson Gower by Reynolds, (who married the 5th Earl in 1770), shown outdoors.

The portraits hang in the Reynolds Room at Castle Howard alongside other family portraits, including works by two of England's most famous 18th-century portrait painters, Sir Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough.

🎨 Notice the difference in style, despite being painted when the artists were both in high demand for portraits.

Our Head Curator, Christopher Ridgway, goes on to explain:

"Reynolds was commissioned a number of times by the 5th Earl to paint himself and his family in the 1770s; while Gainsborough had painted the 4th Countess, Isabella, a decade earlier. Both Gainsborough and Reynolds were highly in demand for portraits but their styles very different.

Gainsborough depicts the 4th Countess in her mature years, aged around forty not long after she was widowed, and she appears in a dignified and settled pose. A number of Gainsborough's sitters wore similar blue dresses.

Reynolds, on the other hand, depicts a younger, more languid figure with Caroline in an outdoors setting at about the time she married the 5th Earl, and the portrait foreshadows a more romantic depiction of character."

🎨Do you have a favourite portrait from the Reynolds Room?