Castle Howard Gatehouse

Set on the Jurassic limestone of the Howardian Hills, the Castle Howard estate dominates the landscape. A spectacular example of 18th-century opulence. Approach from the south is through the Gatehouse with is pyramid roof, was built in 1719 by Sir John Vanbrugh, who designed Castle Howard itself. Maybe. There is some doubt whether Vanbrugh actually did the work although he is usually quoted as the architect. Vanbrugh was a dramatist and had never actually built anything before but he was a friend of the owner, the 3rd Earl of Carlisle. Some authorities suggest the Vanbrugh’s Clerk of Works, Nicholas Hawksmoor, more than helpful in the design. But back to the Gatehouse, the wings were added in the 1750s and developed into a Temperance Hotel by the late 19th-century the Countess of Carlisle where women and their children from the industrial cities of the North would be accommodated as a retreat. There have been proposals to convert the Gatehouse into a modern and no doubt a more exclusive hotel. Through the arch can be seen the 100′ high obelisk raised in 1714.