Resided by the Howard family since it was built over 300 years ago, Castle Howard is a historical home in North Yorkshire which has been opened partly to the public since 1952. 

The castle, greatly enjoyed by locals has been developed into an enjoyable place to go for the whole family from playgrounds and rope bridges to statues and flowering gardens. 

The grounds are commonly used to host events such as concerts and may also be recognisable due to being used as film sets. Most recently and famously much of the popular series ‘Bridgerton’ ,which hit Netflix in 2020, has been filmed both on the grounds and in the castle. 

I’ve been visiting this castle since i was a child and have only seen it become more beautiful over the years. Although no other visit has compared  to this time due to the way the castle glimmered this Christmas time. 

Before and after Christmas this year the Castle has opened up a Narnia experience/exhibit inspired by the famous films and books written by C.S.Lewis. As soon as i saw the the advertisements for this event back in October i wanted to go immediately as someone who had always enjoyed the films. 

The Experience was set up inside of the castle which isn’t always opened to the public making it even more exciting. As someone who has seen the interior before i was even more excited to see how they would decorate it to resemble the magical world.

Upon entering the castle and going up the grand staircase there was a massive Christmas tree on display, automatically setting the tone for the whole event, making it feel Christmassy. Then we were left to wonder through all the different rooms of the castle which all held something different. The designers of the decorations really outdid themselves with bright Christmas lights and decade accurate items that matched perfectly with the different characters. 

They also used the rooms and artefacts that were already in the castle to their advantage such as a hall of statues which they used to represent the people frozen by the evil ice queen in the books. 

There were an abundance of people there of all kinds of ages from families with children to elderly couples, making this experience an enjoyable one for everyone. 

There were also helpful guides in each section who were happy to explain the thought that went into the designs and how they were inspired by the classic story.

I spoke to one of the people that works in the Christmas section of the castle and they commented on how busy it had been since December, i asked them what they thought of the exhibit themselves and they stated that it was “really beautiful, it’s a joy to work there, especially at Christmas time.” 

I’m really looking forward to see what exhibits they might do at the castle in the future and hope they continue a Christmas tradition like this one.