Castle Howard — Best Fountain And Follies - Beyond Downton Abbey: A Guide to 25 Great Houses - page 67

approach to Castle Howard [is] as impressive as the arrival.” Beyond the stun-factor of the
grand exterior — which is best viewed at a distance and from all sides — touring the in-
terior of the house is interesting and enjoyable.
Lonely Planet guidebooks have rated Castle Howard “one of the World's Top Ten Greatest
Mansions and Grand Houses.” There is no shortage of visitors; first opened to the public
in 1952, nearly a quarter-million people visit Castle Howard annually.
An 18 th century residence set within 1,000 acres of breathtaking landscape in the Howar-
dian Hills, Castle Howard has been home to branches of the Howard family for over 300
years. Castle Howard is also one of the most recognizable stately mansions in the country,
having been used twice as the fictional Brideshead in both the 1981 television series and
the 2008 film, Brideshead Revisited .
With more than 145 rooms, Castle Howard ranks as one of the largest country houses in
England. Some come for the house, but the features that make Castle Howard memorable
for many visitors are the Atlas Fountain and the estate's many monuments and follies.
The 7 th Earl of Carlyle commissioned the Atlas Fountain in 1850. Named for the mytho-
logical titan supporting the heavens on his shoulders, the Atlas Fountain is the centerpiece
of Castle Howard's grounds. The sea gods on the fountain were carved by John Thomas in
London and transported by train to Castle Howard. Four large jets of water are blown
from the tritons' shells to cool the hard-working Atlas, while other jets fill the lower scal-
lop shell basins cascading into the main pool. The fountain has iconic status as the setting
for Sebastian and Charles's skinny-dip in both the film and television adaptations of
Evelyn Waugh's novel Brideshead Revisited . Recent restoration work has the Portland
stone sculpture at its best since the early 1980s.