Castle Howard - another misleading use of the word "castle." It is a huge estate, a noble family's home since the 1700's, and the Howard family still lives there (get this: the kids' names are Merlin and Octavia!). They have some great art, porcelain, and library collections displayed, but the main draw is just the amazing harmony of the beautiful architecture and the vast, serene landscaping. Not to mention the peacocks. They also do a lot of farming and gardening on the property. I read that it's over 1,000 acres.
Brideshead Revisted, a book turned movie about a wealthy family who lives in a large home called Brideshead, was filmed here. We made sure to watch it before we visited. So it was almost like REvisiting.
In every room, friendly guides told us about what room we were in and what was special in it. It seemed really personal.
We saw at least 5 peacocks roaming the grounds - and we heard even more squawking to each other over the fields. I got so excited and took about 100 pictures of one who gradually shook open his feathers and spun in a circle for us!
I love it! Peacocks are hilarious. :)
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