Castle Howard to unveil major restoration of its historic interiors and a complete rehang of its collection

Following a major renovation of its historic interiors, Castle Howard’s 21st Century Renaissance will open to the public on 25 April 2025. It will include the unveiling of its lost Tapestry Drawing Room which has been restored to its original 18th-century splendour for the first time since a devastating fire in 1940.

There will also be the opportunity to see the renovated Long Gallery and Grand Staircase and a complete rehang and redisplay of Castle Howard’s collection of paintings, sculptures and tapestries, opening prior to the 300^th anniversary of Sir John Vanbrugh’s death in 2026.

Castle Howard is Britain’s most famous country house, recognised by millions across the world as the location for Brideshead Revisited and Bridgerton.  It is set in a thousand acres of sweeping parkland filled with statues, temples, lakes and fountains, and is one of the most historically significant houses in Europe. Castle Howard has been home to nine generations of the Howard family across three hundred years, with each contributing to its creation, evolution, and preservation.

A devastating fire in 1940 destroyed the iconic dome and more than 20 rooms in the house whilst it was being used as a girls’ school during the Second World War. Upon his return from war, George Howard made the decision to keep the house and estate in family ownership and he embarked on the restoration of the house, which in 1952 opened to the public. He restored the dome in 1962, and the filming of Brideshead Revisited two decades later enabled the reconstruction of the Garden Hall and New Library.

The restoration work is being continued by the present generation of custodians, Nicholas and Victoria Howard, with work led by architect Francis Terry and designers Remy Renzullo and Alec Cobbe.

The Tapestry Drawing Room

The Tapestry Drawing Room was gutted by the fire of 1940 and has remained a shell ever since. From April 2025, visitors will be able to see the fully restored and redecorated space, with the tapestries that originally hung in the room returned to their original positions. The four tapestries were woven for the room in 1706 by John Vanderbank and depict ‘The Four Seasons’ in scenes taken from the work of David Teniers. The room was the first room of the State Apartments, a suite of richly decorated, interconnected rooms reserved for a visiting monarch or head of state.

The Grand Staircase

The Grand Staircase was created in the 1870s and today continues to provide an impressive first impression for visitors. Following the re-hang, visitors will immediately be introduced to the Grand Tour history of the house, with antique sculptures and artefacts collected by the 4^th and 5^th Earls on their travels, displayed alongside a series of newly acquired plaster casts and busts.

The Long Gallery

The Long Gallery will once more become a great showcase of Castle Howard’s art collection. It will contain Italian and Grand Tour paintings, including the noted Pannini capriccios of Rome commissioned by the 4^th Earl, counterbalanced with eighteenth-century views of Castle Howard. Portraits of previous generations of the Howard family, including works by Kneller, Lely and Hoppner, will be displayed throughout the gallery.

Nicholas and Victoria Howard said:

“Every one of the nine generations who have lived in Castle Howard has enjoyed dancing with its particular aesthetic. We are no exception. From its inception 325 years ago, it has been a vivacious house, demanding lively evolution. During all that time it has managed to achieve the duality of being both a family home and a place at which to marvel. The re-creation of the Tapestry Drawing Room is at the centre of our contemporary evolution. The evisceration of more than 20 rooms in the 1940 fire had the silver lining of once more allowing us to step into the creative process here. Spreading out from the Tapestry Drawing Room, we have re-purposed, re-hung, and re-decorated, re-vivifying the house that has refused to die.”

Sir Charles Saumarez Smith, art historian and former Secretary and CEO of the Royal Academy of Arts, said:

“Castle Howard has always evolved, with each generation of the Howard family adding a new layer to its history.  I have been extraordinarily impressed by the determination with which Nicholas and Victoria Howard are not only restoring the house, bringing its services up-to-date and making the house fit-for-purpose, but also trying to make good some of the damage of the disastrous 1940 fire.”

Simon Thurley, historian and former Chief Executive of English Heritage, said:

“Magical, romantic, monumental – Castle Howard can lay claim to many superlatives, but every few generations a wave of the wand of taste has renewed and revived its charms. If anyone doubted the ability of this greatest of houses to be reborn for a new generation, they should come and admire the sensitive but confident way the state rooms have been brought back to life. It is a remarkable achievement, worthy of the ambitions of Castle Howard’s first builder and designers some 350 years ago.”