After sitting dilapidated and empty for more than 80 years, Castle Howard’s Tapestry Drawing Room has finally been brought back to life. The grand room was one of more than 20 destroyed by a huge fire at the mansion in the 1940s but now, it has returned to its former glory and is officially open for the public to behold. Next on the agenda? Having members of the public round for a sleepover.
In case you’re not familiar with Castle Howard, let us clue you in. Nestled on a sweeping estate in the Yorkshire countryside, it’s only one of the biggest, most famous, grandest country manors in the whole of the UK and one of Time Out’s fave places for a family staycation. It has been home to the Howard family for the last 300 years (yes, they’re related to Catherine Howard, Henry VIII’s fifth wife) and starred in iconic films and TV shows such as Brideshead Revisited and ‘Bridgerton’.
Following the major renovation, Castle Howard’s owners are considering launching luxury stay packages. Nicholas Howard, descendant of Charles Howard, the third Earl of Carlisle (who commissioned the house), told the Guardian: ‘We’ve always referred to this as a living house. It’s not a museum. And if you’re going to call it a living house, you’ve got to make it a living house. And that involves having people in it.’
That, and also the fact that they need to bring in a bit more income if they want to keep bringing the old burned rooms back to life.
But when we say luxury we mean luxury. You’ll need quite a lot of dosh if you want to stay the night at the manor. The owners said that they would probably only open the house for a sleepover no more than a couple of times a year, so as not to interfere with day visitors.
If the mansion does decide to start hosting overnight guests, it’ll likely begin next year. For now, you can visit the castle’s ‘21st Century Renaissance’ exhibition, which includes the huge renovation of its lost Tapestry Drawing Room.
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