North Yorkshire | Castle Howard at Christmas
All year, adults and children alike are understandably spellbound by Castle Howard from the moment you enter past the gigantic gatehouse information boards that offer useful information for the day ahead. Each day spent here feels both educational and fun with plenty of exhibits to enhance your experience. However, it also offers one of Britain’s most atmospheric Christmas experiences to get you in the festive mood
Castle Howard’s construction began in 1699 in the area now known as the Howardian Hills (a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). Not completed until 100 years later, the design of the house has changed over time from elaborate Baroque style to classical Palladian style. It also houses an amazing Venetian inspired painting inside of the dome of the house with a magnificent depiction of the Greek myth The Fall of Phaeton. Making it the perfect place to house a Christmas tree nearing Trafalgar Square proportions….
Previously only visited by royalty and gentry, Britain’s stately homes are now a popular daytime outing for families in the lead up to Christmas. Bathed in the glow of Christmas lights and surrounded by architectural elegance, Castle Howard offers a sumptuous Christmas atmosphere that kids will love (ours certainly did!!). Songs and entertainment, festive food, and the sparkle of illuminated baubles stalls await, not to mention the chance to drop into the shop for gifts of all kinds to keep your friends and family happy.
But before you dash inside to get festive with the ‘Angels on High’ theme…. Spare the time to enjoy the amazing photographic opportunities outside. The impressive facade matches the quality of the undulating grounds. With views across the rolling Yorkshire countryside, it’s the perfect place to relax; either enjoy a woodland walk or a stroll along lakeside terraces before you get your arm twisted by the kids to visit the brilliant adventure playground beside the lake.
But these views might have been impossible had the house not been saved from a terrible fire in 1940. The actions of the fire service, along with schoolgirls from Queen Margaret’s School, who had been evacuated to the house following the outbreak of the Second World War, helped save Castle Howard for future generations to enjoy…. especially at Christmas!!
Each year Castle Howard is fantastically decorated with atmospheric Christmas displays. Illuminated for the Christmas season, it holds wonderfully atmospheric Christmas events, and even hosted children’s carol concerts that Libby once sung in…..
Impressive during the rest of the year, every Christmas, the owners – the Howard Family – invite guests to celebrate the festive season at their home with their original take on Christmas decorations…. just imagine what a Christmas Dinner would look like to those who enjoy it each Christmas Day!!
The entire house is illuminated by candlelight and warmed by fires from the huge stone fireplaces ensuring the spirits of Christmas past, present and future are in evidence. There’s nods to the past in the bedrooms alongside some wonderfully simple yet effective decorations in the main library…. and even a snow lined entrance to Father Christmas’ Grotto inside the house!!
Castle Howard is located within 30mins of York’s City Centre and costs £47.85 (family of 4). Special offers are available online or just use your York Pass.
LifeinourVan Top TipDon’t miss the cherubic treasure hunt sheets for the little ones to follow on their way through the house. You can even win a year’s pass for the family!!!
LifeinourVan Top Tip
Time for Christmas lunch with all the trimmings
We used the traditional Christmas Lunch as a topic of road schooling, using the menu as a source of conversation for how it may have changed over the ages (see here for more). What’s clearly obvious, is that each Christmas dinner is filled with wonderful dishes and the one on offer at Castle Howard is no different!!!
Lashings of cranberry sauce adorn the top of the traditional turkey on a plate bribing with roasted vegetables with even the brussels sprouts eaten without complaint!!!!
Here’s a fact you may not have known? Castle Howard has played host to some major period films, such as Brideshead (an adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited) , so it’s no wonder that this stately home is a favourite among locals and tourists alike….. especially if you can also make it for Halloween!!!
Halloween at Castle Howard – our first visit this year
With more than it’s fair share of castles and old stately homes, Yorkshire’s a great place to spend Halloween… just like you’ll find if you also make your way to the home of Bram Stoker’s Dracula at Whitby Abbey.
But we were equally impressed with the fantastic narrative used at Castle Howard’s Halloween event…. set in an abandoned, fire damaged wing of the house, you’ll walk through a chamber of horrors linked to a story about the spider obsessed owner of the house….
Although we’ve never stayed in one of these ‘bungalows’ / ‘villas etc… we have had a decent look around one in Croatia (see this article for full internal/external pictures) and we can certainly see why it’s a growing sector for campsites. Especially when you consider the ease of access by cheap low cost flights and the amount of facilities on site…
Maybe one day we’ll really consider it for our family, but for now we love the freedom that our motorhome offers….. But for those without motorhomes, we can see why you’d happily wake up to the view above each morning of your holiday!
On the surface of it, the quality of the campsite facilities and shops aren’t huge factors in a choice of campsite. Most opt for fantastic views or amazing water parks… but having great facilities just seems to make any stay go that little easier… Especially when you consider the quality of their supermarket, on site bakery, newsagent, fishmonger…. plus those shower blocks are some of the best designed ones we’ve seen so far in Europe!
As for the rest of the year, as you can see from the above, Castle Howard is an equally interesting place to visit without the festive decorations…. In particular, both girls loved the clever information boards that allow you to easily learn about the artefacts on display…..
There’s so much to like about Castle Howard, we might just have to add our ‘cherub’ treasure hunt to the entry box and see if we can win a year’s family pass for 2018!!!
castle howard
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