Howard Castle - Yorkshire

From the dense Cheshire woodlands, we travel into Yorkshire to Castle Howard, 15 miles north of York. The county's home to over 30 grand country estates, each boasting luxury rooms, stunning gardens and thousands of acres of parkland that make for wonderful seasonal roams at this time of year. Castle Howard is one of Britain's most impressive stately homes. A star in its own right, it's appeared in countless TV programmes and films over the years, including most recently in Victoria. It's open to the public, but it's also a family home. I'm going to be finding out a little bit more about its starring roles as well as getting involved in a restoration project that ensures this building shines for years to come. Castle Howard takes its name from the family who built it, and it took over 100 years to complete. Today, it's one of Britain's best examples of 17th century architecture. Anna Louise is the assistant curator who manages the vast archive detailing every bit of Castle Howard's history, including visits by royalty across the centuries. So the real Queen Victoria dined here, but also the fictional drama about Victoria was partly filmed here. That's right. We doubled as Kensington Palace, or KP as it came to be known, in the fictional dramatisation Victoria. And in real life in 1850, we also accommodated the real Victoria and Albert when they visited. What a fascinating, rich history. Wow, it really is like stepping back in time coming in here, isn't it? Yes, it is. Very much so. So this featured in the fictional Victoria, is that right? It did, yes. This room was where the young Victoria slept in a very small bed that was set up next to this enormous bed in which her mother slept. And it was in here that her governess came through to tell her the news that the king was dead. The messenger's here, with a black armband. Your Majesty. The next stop on our tour takes in the castle's stunning centrepiece dome. Wow. Okay, this has the wow factor. It certainly does. You immediately look upwards, don't you? You do. So this is the Great Hall. It is, yes. It's the high point of the house, quite literally. Very dramatic. And I suppose that's the point of it, is it? When people arrive at the house, you want to show off the grandeur, the magnitude of it. That's right. This would be the grand entrance to the house when important visitors would arrive. I tell you, I like this. It reminds me of my hall at home. Yes, me too. Eleven generations of the Howard family have lived here. Last year, the task of running the estate fell to Nick Howard. His challenge is to preserve the castle both as a family home and as a national treasure for visitors to enjoy. He's currently overseeing a huge renovation project. Nick, how are you doing? Very good to see you. This is a building I have seen many times over the years, in screen, in print, but this was your home, this is where you grew up. It was indeed, and I romped around the passages on roller skates and played outside to my heart's content in the summer months. Obviously, Castle Howard recently appeared in Victoria. Is that quite strange for you to see your family home on the small screen or the big screen? Well, it's happened quite a few times before, but it's still always slightly surprising when you see someone walking down a familiar corridor, turning a corner, and being in a completely different house at the next shot. I can see there's a bit of work going on up on the roof. Yes, indeed, we're re-gilding the dome. Would you like to come and look? I'd love to. The dome at Castle Howard is a scaled-down version of the one at St Paul's Cathedral, and the painstaking process of re-gilding is underway for the first time in over 20 years. This is spectacular up here, isn't it? You really get a sense of the whole estate here. What's actually going on up here today, then? Well, what's going on up here is we're re-gilding the whole of the lantern and the pinnacle, because it needs to shine out as a kind of beacon. And it lasts for about 25 years when you gild it, which is a great deal longer than paint would last. And just to be clear, when you say re-gilding, that's basically covering it in gold? Covering it in gold. You take very, very, very thin sheets of gold. I could show you how to do this. Come on, let's see. Yeah, I would. I'd love to. It comes in these booklets. Incredibly thin. Now, if you're going to hold that for me, I'll get up here and show you. I rub that on there, because the surface has all been prepared, you see. And I take that, and if you could hand me the brush. Here we go. Very nice. Just finish that off there, you see, like that. I see a second career for you, Nick. Well. If running Castle Howard becomes too much, can I do one? Do it. Have a go. Just so that I can at least say I had a part. Each of these gold leaves costs around £5 in a re-gilding exercise that will take three weeks to complete. I can now say I'm part of the… The gilding fraternity. Part of the gilding fraternity, Nick. Thank you. Not at all. Can I keep this gold? As long as it's only that big. I've enjoyed my visit to one of Britain's national treasures, and if you're keen for a dose of opulence this Christmas, there are many stately homes to visit, which you may have seen on screen, like Montacute House in Somerset, which featured in Wolf Hall. Burley House in Lincolnshire, star of the film adaptation of The Da Vinci Code. Or head to Chatsworth House in Derbyshire to see the glorious setting of Pride and Prejudice. Check seasonal opening times online.