Official illustrated guide to Britain’s finest country house.

Castle Howard is often said to be Britain’s most sublime country house, recognised worldwide as the location for Brideshead Revisited and Bridgerton. Its setting in Yorkshire is amongst the most spectacular of any building in the UK.

Christopher Ridgway, curator at Castle Howard, explores its history and takes the reader on an illustrated tour of the house and its equally magnificent park and grounds. Sumptuous new interior photography by Chris Horwood, following a restoration of the house, brings to life such treasures as the chapel decoration by William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones and paintings by Reynolds and Gainsborough, while Nick Howard's evocative outdoor photographs include the extraordinary family Mausoleum and Temple of the Four Winds in the grounds.

Castle Howard was created by Charles Howard, the 3rd Earl of Carlisle, and designed by his two principal architects, Vanbrugh and Hawksmoor. It took shape in the first decade of the 18th century, with later additions, and has been the residence of the Howard family ever since. Today it is one of the glories of Britain and one of its favourite visitor attractions, and this book is the ideal introduction to it.

Christopher Ridgway has been curator at Castle Howard since 1984. He is Chair of the Yorkshire Country House Partnership, and Professor in the Centre for the Study of Historic Irish Houses and Estates. He has lectured extensively on Castle Howard's collections and history.