Bridgerton Filming Location and Historical Estate in North Yorkshire

When I first laid eyes on Castle Howard it was in the depths of winter, January 2015.

It was my first trip to the UK and Europe with my Mum, and I was eighteen and fresh out of school. The house was closed due to the season, but our family friend, Sophie, knew the best vantage points so we could catch a glimpse of it. Amidst fields of thick white snow, it was a sight to behold then, and the first grand house I’d ever seen.

To step onto the grounds and explore the house and garden, almost a decade later, was very special. (I’ve saved my absolute favourite part until the end of the post!)

For those hopeless-romantic television enthusiasts, you might recognise it from the ever-iconic Brideshead Revisited, or more recently––in the grand regal spectacle of Bridgerton. (Alas, ladies, no Regé-Jean Page here!) More on that below.

Tickets + Entry:

Tickets to Castle Howard’s House and Grounds can be purchased online, or on site at their ticket office. You can purchase a House & Garden pass, or just a Garden Pass (which is what locals tend to do, if visiting for a day out).

As I discovered all those years ago, there are off-peak periods when you can’t visit the house – but the Gardens are open year-round, except for December 25.

In 2024, the house is open from March 29 to November 1.

Our Adult Non-Member Tickets cost £27 (so about $52 AUD each – $104 for Haavard and I).

*(Side Note: The visitation and tour staff are all volunteers, which speaks volumes of the local love and dedication to this beautiful place!)*

A brief snapshot of the house:

Castle Howard's story begins in the 18th century, and is a testament to architectural finesse by Sir John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor. This estate boasts a unique blend of Baroque and Palladian architectural styles. The Howard family have maintained their custodianship over the estate across generations.

Centre Stage: Brideshead Revisited & Bridgerton

For literature and television enthusiasts, Castle Howard served as the iconic setting for the TV adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's novel, Brideshead Revisited. Stepping through the castle's ornate rooms and meticulously crafted gardens, you can easily envision the characters of Charles Ryder and Sebastian Flyte gracing these spaces of times gone by. It's a tangible link to the captivating story that unfolds against this historic backdrop.

In a more contemporary twist, Castle Howard stepped into the limelight once again for Netflix and Shonda Rhimes’ Bridgerton, as ‘Clyvedon Castle’; the fictional home of The Duke of Hastings (now do you get my Regé reference?). The crew utilised the Grand Hall, exterior of the castle, and extensive grounds for scenes in Season 1.

A Devastating Chapter: The 1940 Fire

In a tragic turn of events during the 20th century, Castle Howard faced a devastating fire that left an indelible mark on its storied history. The fateful day, November 9, 1940, witnessed a conflagration that engulfed the South East wing of the castle, devastatingly reducing centuries-old interiors, artworks and family treasures to ashes. The inferno, believed to have been sparked by a defective chimney, raged uncontrollably, challenging the efforts of firefighters to save parts of the building.

While the core structure of Castle Howard survived, the scars of the fire were evident, leading to extensive restoration work over the subsequent years. In the photograph below, you can still see evidence of the scorching against paintings, with the stone columns and arches still bearing ashen marks of the blaze to this day:

Restoration efforts primarily focused on the extensively damaged South East wing. In 1960-62 the dome was rebuilt and redecorated, and in 1981, in conjunction with Granada Television and the filming of Brideshead Revisited, the Garden Hall was rebuilt (Castle Howard). Whatever your perspective on film and television, I thought this was a particularly positive impact from the industry, enlisting houses like this one for filming locations, inciting renewed interest, investment and visitation for the next generation. Overall, the continual restoration efforts are contingent on resources, funding and time, but the property is constantly undergoing a level of restoration and maintenance, which is a testament to the Howard family and their commitment to preserving its history and cultural legacy for future generations.

The room below flows on from the Great Hall (featured in Bridgerton!) and was one of my favourite spaces in the house. I loved the way the light filtered through.

The ornate rooms on the bottom are all the regal grandeur you hope for in a marvellous house like this. I was particularly mesmerised by the strong use of colour and gold, typical to houses of this era; particularly the red, and turquoise wallpapers (see below). The strong use of colour is still apparent in British interiors today. I thought about writing an intensive paragraph here, but there are so many details in these rooms, I’ll let the photos speak for themselves:

The Gardens: An Oasis of Design

The Gardens are absolutely incredible. Designed by Capability Brown, they showcase a tranquil escape with lakes, temples, and vibrant flora. And bumblebees! They were so beautiful and gentle. (Time for me to update my Georgina Bee logo – our Australian bees are a lot more aggressive!)

The Walled Garden

This was one of my favourite places we visited on our entire trip to England. It felt completely magical and whimsical, straight out of pretty storybook! My love for gardens has grown ten-fold over the past year, and any time I have the pleasure of visiting one as special as this, I feel very lucky. I missed my sister, Skye there (as she is a passionate and career gardener) so I captured this collection with her in mind. This enormous, curated space filled me with such awe and inspiration! Again, I’ll let the photos speak for themselves: