Castle’s features no longer ‘at risk’

“CRITICAL” FEATURES of the famous Castle Howard estate have been taken off Historic England’s list of heritage sites which are deemed to be at risk, it was revealed today.

After significant works by the public body alongside Natural England, the Grade I-listed Stray Walls, which lead up to the house, and monuments which dot its landscape, have been removed from the Heritage at Risk Register. Lime trees which were planted in the 1720s have also been saved.

More than £300,000 has been put towards restoring parts of Castle Howard by Historic England, and Natural England has invested around £1m alongside funding from the estate itself.

The Stray Walls had received little attention since the eighteenth century and the top of it was crumbling.

The three-quarters-of-a-mile wall was built around 1723 to mark the entrance to the home and emphasise that it was indeed a castle.

Craig McHugh, a principal advisor for Heritage at Risk, said: “They are really visible to visitors as they arrive at Castle Howard – the prominence of the Stray Walls is really critical.

“It’s a terrific estate and visitor destination for Yorkshire. It’s a really iconic site and is a massive responsibility and undertaking. We are pleased to have helped the estate with that work.”

Historic England said Castle Howard has one of the grandest Baroque landscapes in England.

Sir John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor designed Castle Howard, which many people recognise after it was featured on Granada Television’s 1981 adaption of Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited.