The House Tour

All rooms except the High South and Chapel are accessible by wheelchair.  Information about these areas can be viewed in a brochure available on the principle floor.  Please ask our guides for assistance when you reach the Great Hall and Long Gallery. 

Grand Staircase and China Landing

Beneath the skylight hang portraits of the first six Earls of Carlisle and a charming portrait of the three daughters of the 3rd Earl by Antonio Pellegrini. On the China Landing you will see two portraits of the 9th Earl and Countess. After their deaths in the early 20th-century the family estates were divided among their children and today Castle Howard is home to the Honourable Simon Howard, depicted in a portrait by Chen Yan Ning. The Victorian china-cabinet houses 300 pieces of porcelain mostly by Meissen, Sevres, and Chelsea.

Lady Georgiana’s Bedroom and Dressing Room

In 1801 the marriage between Georgiana Cavendish and the 6th Earl of Carlisle united the two great houses of Castle Howard and Chatsworth in Derbyshire. The bedroom is filled with 19th-century portraits of the Howard family and their relations. On the east wall is a silver-gilt and coral rattle, with a picture above of the infant Georgiana holding an identical rattle. In the Dressing Room look out for an 18th-century Dutch Opflaptafel, which looks like a cabinet but opens to reveal a pewter urn, basin and two mirrors.

Castle Howard Dressing Room and Bedroom

The suite of satinwood bedroom furniture is by the Georgian cabinetmaker John Linnell and dates from 1777-89. During the 19th century the four-post bed was drastically altered: the canopy which was originally dome-shaped was cut down, given a flat top and crowned with the gilded basket. The large satinwood wardrobe is attributed to Christopher Furlohg c.1775 and the landscapes are by the Venetian artist Marco Ricci who worked at Castle Howard in 1709-10. 

Antique Passage

The busts, statues, marble table-tops and urns on display were collected chiefly by the 4th Earl during his second visit to Italy in 1739-40. The majority of these pieces date from classical times although some are later copies.

Great Hall

The Great Hall is the crowning masterpiece of Vanbrugh's design. Viewed from outside the 70 foot high dome gives Castle Howard a unique silhouette. On the inside it is a triumph of theatre and space. The painted decoration executed by Antonio Pellegrini depicts the Four Elements, the Figures of the Zodiac and the tale of Phaeton falling from his father's chariot.  It was rebuilt in 1960-62 after a fire in1940 destroyed much of Castle Howard including the dome. You can still see the cracks on the floor where the debris crashed to the ground.

High South

When the house was first built at the beginning of the 18th century this suite of rooms on the upper level was known as the High South. The area was an extension of the Great Hall and would have been used to receive important visitors on public occasions. In the 19th century these rooms became bedchambers and Queen Victoria stayed here when she visited in 1850. The walls were originally decorated with frescoes by Antonio Pellegrini but these were destroyed in the disastrous fire of 1940. For the latter part of the 20th century this area remained empty and derelict, but in the 1990s a lead roof was fitted and in 2007 the three rooms were used as a film set for Brideshead. This was the second time that Evelyn Waugh’s famous novel, Brideshead Revisited, had been filmed at Castle Howard (the first was by Granada Television in 1981) and the production company transformed the centre room into a spectacular painted chamber. The walls, frescoes, fireplace, mirror and door surrounds are entirely artificial as is the large bed; the only exception is the oak flooring which was installed after the filming. For the first time in living memory this upper level of the house is open to visitors to enjoy the spectacular architecture of the Great Hall from the balcony as well as the elevated views of the gardens.

Garden Hall

The Garden Hall was once decorated with frescoes by Pellegrini, which were lost in the fire of 1940. The filming of the famous television drama Brideshead Revisited in 1981 provided an opportunity to restore this room to a wholly new design with painted capriccios by Felix Kelly portraying imaginary Vanbrugh buildings. Next to the Cabinet Room look out for new displays in the exhibition area.

Music Room

The Broadwood pianos are dated 1796 and 1805 and the harp is also English c.1800. Making music was a regular pastime in the family and there is a large collection of sheet music and scores gathered in the 18th and 19th centuries. The paintings include works by Leandro Bassano, Giralomo Bedoli and Annibale Carracci collected by the 5th Earl. The Opera Rehearsal is one of a set of small musical conversation pieces painted by Marco Ricci.

Crimson Dining Room

The Crown Derby dessert service dates from 1796-1801 and is decorated with a bright yellow border and botanical images. Among the pictures in the room today are views of Venice by Bellotto and Canaletto and equestrian pictures by George Stubbs and John Wootton.

Turquoise Drawing Room

Redecorated with a turquoise damask in 2002, this room houses an important collection of portraits including the grand depiction of the 5th Earl by Sir Joshua Reynolds; at his feet is his pet dog “Rover” who accompanied him on his tour to Italy in 1768. On the east wall is a portrait of the 9th Countess by Frederic Leighton painted just after her marriage in 1865. In this room you can see the most popular picture at Castle Howard - Thomas Gainsborough’s rural scene, Girl with Pigs.

Museum Room

The landscapes are by the 9th Earl and his Italian mentor, Giovanni Costa, with whom he formed the Etruscan School of painting in 1878. The 17th-century Italian cabinets are inlaid with a variety of marbles and semi-precious stones. Look out for the large 17th century Delft tulip vase with nozzles shaped in the form of a creature's open mouth.

Long Gallery

The Long Gallery is 54 metres in length with a middle section known as the Octagon. It was built as a display gallery and the interior was finished to designs by Charles Heathcote Tatham between 1800-10. The tapestries in the Octagon are by John Vanderbank, depicting the four seasons and were purchased in 1706-12. The wine cooler is made from bog-oak and silver gilt and was presented to the 7th Earl after his defeat in a parliamentary election in 1841. In the north end of the gallery are six imaginary views of Rome by Paolo Pannini and four views of Castle Howard in the late 18th century by William Marlow.

The Chapel

In common with many large country houses Castle Howard has a private chapel.  The chapel here has always been Anglican and is still used throughout the year. In 1870-75 it was redecorated by the famous English firm of Morris & Co. including an embroidered screen by William Morris depicting three heroines from legend.  The frescoes were designed by Charles Kempe and the stained glass windows illustrating scenes from the life of Christ are by Edward Burne-Jones.