Castle Howard, Yorkshire |
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Castle Howard Part of the Britain Express guide to Yorkshire, England, highlighting attractions, history, and visitor information. |
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Castle Howard
A short drive from the city of York brings you to a long avenue leading to the gates of Castle Howard. The house stands within extensive parkland and formal gardens, where peacocks roam. The setting is idyllic, but it is the house itself that draws the eye. Castle Howard is centred on a striking dome, with two wings enclosing a courtyard. To the north, the ground falls away to a large lake, to the south, formal gardens share space with more water features and several glorious follies. The
Building of Castle Howard
But there was still much to do at Castle Howard; by 1725 Carlisle estimated that he had spent over £78,000 on his house, and it still did not have a west wing to match the east! Part of the delay was due to the Earl's desire to finish the landscaping, a distraction that drew the ire of Vanbrugh, who pleaded with the Earl to complete the west wing. In the end, both men were long dead before the house was complete; Vanbrugh passing in 1726, and the 3rd Earl in 1738. The task of finishing the west wing fell to the Earl's son-in-law, Sir Thomas Robinson, who did so in the then-popular Palladian style, taking inspiration from William Kent's design for the Houses of Parliament. Robinson's grand plans called for the interior to be completed to a level of grandeur and convenience that would be unrivalled anywhere in the world, but his grand sceme fell afoul of the young 5th Earl's trustees, who refused to lavish more money on the project. When Robinson died in 1777 the interior was stll unfinished, and thus it remained until 1811, when Charles Tatham completed the decoration. Thus has Castle Howard remained, despite minor alterations over the past several centuries, essentially two unbalanced wings, designed and executed to divergent visions, ranged about a central dome of striking beauty.
For a closer look at the interior of Castle Howard, with an overview of the major rooms on display to visitors, please see the House section of our Castle Howard Guide. And for a look at the exraordinarily beautiful grounds, visit the Gardens section of this guide. CONTACT Related:
© David Ross and Britain Express | |
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Summary
At
first this design did not include a central dome; this was added quite late in
the construction process. The east wing was completed within 10 years, along with
the extraordinary dome. The style was ebulient; carved figures and flowing lines
mixed with a panopoly of classical elements. Those classical elements were mixed
in unusual fashion; the north front using the Doric order, the south front using
Corinthian. When confronted with this oddity, Hawksmoor famously replied that
no one could view both fronts at once!
That
beauty was marred by a devastating fire in 1940, which destroyed the dome and
over 20 rooms. For over twenty years the dome was unroofed, but by 1962 repairs
had been completed. In the meantime, Castle Howard was opened to the public (1952).
In 1982 the appeal of Castle Howard was further enhanced when it was chosen as
the setting for the television production of Evelyn Waugh's novel Brideshead
Revisted. A permanent exhbition relating to the filming of the television
series can be seen by visitors to the house.