A room at Castle Howard which has remained a shell since it was gutted by fire 65 years ago is to reopen after a painstaking restoration.
The Tapestry Drawing Room is being returned to its original 18th century splendour and will be seen for the first time since the blaze in 1940.
While the gardens remain open, the house is now closed, and will reopen on Friday, 18 April.
When it does, visitors will also have 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.
Now considered Britain’s most famous country house, Castle Howard has been immortalised on screen in adaptations of Brideshead Revisited as well as a key location in Netflix hit Bridgerton.
When it reopens in spring, people will be able to enjoy Castle Howard’s 21st Century Renaissance.
The 1940 fire 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.
On his return from the war, George Howard made the decision to keep the house and estate in family ownership and embarked on its restoration.
It opened to the public in 1952.
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.
Latest renovations
The latest 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 4th and 5th 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 4th Earl, counterbalanced with 18th-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.
‘Contemporary evolution’
Nicholas and Victoria Howard said: “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.
“he 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.”