The months of lockdown have been strange for the majority of us: we’ve seen fewer people, been to fewer places and become used to a quieter life lived at a slower pace. But for the Hon Nicholas Howard, who is accustomed to welcoming a quarter of a million visitors to his home, Castle Howard, every year, that strangeness has been magnified.
‘I’ve been here with just my wife, my daughter and her boyfriend,’ he says. ‘It was extraordinary coming out and seeing absolutely no one here. Most of the staff were on furlough, though the gardening team kept working, otherwise the place would have gone to rack and ruin. There was something slightly pathetic about watching the lawns being mown and the beds being tended, all for no one.’
With the gradual easing of lockdown, though, Castle Howard is tentatively unfurling. There are little children running round the grounds once more, dogs snuffling at rose bushes, takeaway coffees being consumed (ah, the simple pleasure of a hot drink you haven’t made yourself) and visits to the garden centre and farm shop are in full swing.
Esta historia es de la edición August 2020 de Yorkshire Life.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición August 2020 de Yorkshire Life.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Charity Starts At Home
How do we teach our children the importance of giving back?
THE INTERVIEW Steph McGovern
Live from Leeds - Steph McGovern returns to the studio after a scary lockdown lesson in live TV
THE SCENE SETTERS
Hidden away in a North Yorkshire village, you’ll find a business making huge stage sets for global audiences, from TV’s The Voice, to the Olympics and Trafalgar Square’s plinths
On solid ground
Dry stone walls are the thread that bind Yorkshire’s landscape. Fancy giving it a go? Pete Maynard quit his job to do just that
The French furniture hunters
A day in the life of Stephen and Kath Hazell who run The French House in York, one of the largest French antiques businesses in the UK
Face value
We caught up with Sarah Thomas, co-founder of the York-based beauty brand that’s changing the game with waterless, vegan, natural and organic products
Wildlife in crisis
From the bottom of the sea to the top of the tallest tree, there are tales of wildlife woes all over Yorkshire. The good news is that it’s not too late to save what little remains
Decorative art
Not simply functional, treat your walls like an extension of your personality
Boxing clever
The Hare at Scawton was named Yorkshire Life Restaurant of the Year in 2019 and owners Paul and Liz Jackson had big plans for their gourmet hotspot. When lockdown happened, they put down the kitchen knives and opened the tool box. The results are spectacular
All the dales
This route from Thixendale to Hanging Grimston is often missed by local hikers, but it covers a number of glorious dales. Warning: there’s a one in six climb, but the views make it all worthwhile