September 7, 2011

Add Castle Howard

The Guardian has just added the baroque Castle Howard in Yorkshire, designed by English playwright and architect Sir John Vanbrugh, to their list of the most Beautiful Buildings of Britain. imageI must say that I have to agree with this choice! It’s really a stunning place and has been owned by the same family for many generations.  imageHoward says they’ve been in the house through good times and bad times and that he will stay there until he “shuffles off to his mortal coil”.  He also says they “struggle on” which was picked up by commenters, but the narrator says that the struggle is to keep it in the family, and they’ve been working on repairing the house since a fire in 1940!imageThe house is the first country house to have a dome added to it, rather like St. Paul’s Cathedral in London with its whispering gallery.image Take a look at this wonderful little Guardian video, here.

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5 comments:

  1. The Devoted ClassicistSeptember 7, 2011 at 3:27 PM

    More isolated than some of the more popular Stately Homes, Castle Howard gained an increase in visitors after the popularity of the PBS presentation of "Brideshead Revisted" filmed memorable scenes there. The videos won't play on my iPhone, but I will try later on my home computer.

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  2. vicki archerSeptember 7, 2011 at 5:02 PM

    One of my very favourites Meg.....I am loving these posts....xv

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  3. An Aesthete's LamentSeptember 7, 2011 at 5:44 PM

    I love this house and always have. Part of the reason is the combination of its Baroque exuberance in the romantic bleakness of Yorkshire (my ancestral land).

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  4. Austen RedmanSeptember 9, 2011 at 11:52 AM

    I'm off there on the 17th of September with the Georgian Society for East Yorkshire. I think this will be my fourth visit.

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  5. beautySeptember 15, 2011 at 10:20 AM

    Its my dream to visit these beautiful places.

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