Having owned a number of classic cars in the past, I retain a keen interest in such things. As such, when news reached me that there was to be a classic car show at Castle Howard on Father’s Day, I duly earmarked in the diary. Also, at the back of my mind, was that if the event was good enough, then it may be suitable to report on at a later date – after all, this would be viewed as a suitable “luxury item” for Watchlogic!
The event, as it turned out, was great, so I now attempt to write with some interest and lucidity – but with a slight initial revision. This is due to the fact that as I have some minor involvement with the Castle (and therefore an element knowledge), I felt it incumbent to include some history on this wonderful property at the same time. So dear reader, please bear with me!
Sitting within the Howardian Hills of North Yorkshire, this magnificent stately home dominates the landscape for miles around. Started in around 1700/1701 by the 3rd Earl of Carlisle (Charles Howard), on the remains of an ancient castle at Henderskelfe, it was designed to emphasise his status and to potentially welcome Royalty. John Vanbrugh and architect Nicholas Hawksmoor were chosen for the building task. Incidentally, until this point, the former had never designed a house before, let alone a huge castle/palace, but, as a friend of the Earl he somehow persuaded him to be involved in the project. At this juncture, it is also worth mentioning that the Howard family were already involved at a high civic and regal level much earlier on, with Thomas Howard being an adviser to Henry VIII and of course Catherine Howard being one of his hapless wives.
By around 1707, some two thirds of the planned Baroque style building was complete – in essence, the East Wing (with estate buildings) and the entire South Garden Front – encompassing the Great Hall with it’s magnificent dome. At this point building work paused, as the Earl’s position was fading somewhat and money was becoming more tight. As such, he became more interested in landscaping aspects. Months became years, with Vanbrugh pleading with the Earl to allow him to finish the West Wing, but to no avail. In the end both were in the ground, with Vanbrugh expiring in 1726 then the Earl in 1738.
The Earl’s son – Henry Howard (4th Earl) recommenced building work – along with a relative, Sir Thomas Robinson, as architect. Progress was however painfully slow, with ongoing money issues and arguments over design features. In the end Robinson got his way, with the result that the West Wing was much bigger than originally planned, plus, the design was to a rather more plain Palladian style. The 4th Earl died in 1758, but the West Wing was still not entirely complete. His heir, Frederick (5th Earl), was only 10 or so when his father died, so trustees were now essentially in charge. Again, building work was a battle, so when Robinson died in 1777 – although the main structure was now complete, all interior decoration was not. As such, more delay ensued, and whilst some bedrooms were now habitable, the Long Gallery was not finally complete until about 1811! Some further work was carried out to the West Wing between 1870-75 – including work to the chapel, but essentially that was the last of any serious remodelling.
Today, visitors will note that the Castle does look unsymmetrical – exacerbated by the fact that estate buildings on the West side were never built. It is nonetheless, a hugely impressive building, with the crowing glory being the large dome – at one point the largest atop any private dwelling in Britain.
The Earls of Carlisle had their seat at Castle Howard – up to the 9th Earl – George. Being a very competent and keen artist, he apparently was never really happy living at Castle Howard, feeling it too be too large and bustling. As such, he decamped to the more peaceful Naworth Castle (near Carlisle.), the original family seat, leaving his wife Rosalind (9th Countess) at Castle Howard. Upon his demise in 1911, his son, Charles, inherited Naworth and became the 10th Earl, whilst another sibling Geoffrey, eventually inheriting Castle Howard when Rosalind died in 1921. So, from then onwards the Earls of Carlisle have not been at Castle Howard, but the other branch of the Howard family continue to live there, currently under the enthusiastic and watchful eyes of The Hon Nicholas Howard and his wife Victoria.
At this point it is important to acknowledge Nicholas’s father, George, as he did much to ensure that Castle Howard survived at all. In 1940 a huge fire broke out, and, due to a combination of mainly ill-fortune, the fire ravaged about a third of the property – some 20 rooms. The dome’s cupola crashed in and valuable paintings and furnishings were lost. When George returned from the war, wounded, and tragically having lost his two brothers, he discovered his home severely damaged and with trustees busy selling valuables, in the belief that the Castle would never be lived in again. George had other ideas, and immediately commenced a programme of stabilisation and restoration, with the up-shot being that the house not only continued to be lived in, but also opened to the public in 1952. Today, although most of a whole wing remains today a shell (albeit waterproofed and used as storage), some rooms have been re-opened. There is still of course much to be seen and admired – including the grounds of course. George went on to hold various prestigious positions – including being Chairman of the Board of Governors of the BBC. He was knighted in 1983 – Lord Howard of Henderskelfe, only to die a year later. His son Simon took over the running of Castle Howard, until retiring in 2014 due to ill-health, and sadly passing away in early 2022. As mentioned earlier, his brother Nicholas is now at the helm.
Today, Castle Howard is a major tourist attraction, with visitors coming from all around the World. They are treated to to the stunning building with its lavish interiors, filled with wonderful paintings, antiquities and furniture. In addition, there are exhibitions that relate to the famous films and TV series’ that were made at the Castle over the years – such as 1981’s Brideshead Revisited, and more recently Bridgeton. Outside, beautiful rolling landscapes containing; a mausoleum, temple, folly, lakes, and a wonderful fountain can all be enjoyed too. Tearooms, gift shops and an impressive farm shop are also present, with much of the latter’s produce being sourced from the Estate or locally. Many events are also hosted at the Castle, including shows and concerts, and even the odd wedding – if one’s pocketbook will stretch!
Anyway, I think that will do on the Castle, but I urge readers to visit!
So, back to the show! I arrived somewhat early – being able to access the estate (due a function I have there), and already some cars were arriving and vendors unpacking their wares. At one bric-a-brac type stall I made an odd and unexpected purchase. Whatever could it be? Some spark plugs, an old bumper perhaps – or maybe vintage car magazines? No, silly, of course it was a fossilised sea urchin! Yes, OK, that was a little unexpected, but it was decorative, interesting, and at £15 cheap!
I decided to head for a thin line of cars that had arrived early. The first one was an Aston Martin Volante, with the owner busy converting it into one of the later James Bond gadget-laden cars. So, missiles from the bumpers, some kind of smoke machine, and an ejector seat to remove an enemy. Well, in fact a box with a spring in it that expelled a toy dog! All quite amusing! Next to this was a Ford GT 40. I got chatting to the owner, who turned out to be Richard Milner. I will be frank and say that I had never heard of him, but, after some half hour of chat, it was clear that this fit octogenarian had been heavily involved in the Formula One and Le Mans scenes from the 60’s onwards. His car was in fact a remake in 1989 by GT Development, but built to a very high detail, with proper Hallibrand wheels and motivated by a Ford 302 V8 pumping out some 400bhp. A side story of interest to me was that Richard was given a Heure Autavia chronograph watch by a racing pal in the early 70’s. Richard rarely wore a watch and only did so on “racing occasions”. In 2017 or so, he then met a London watch dealer (who I know of, being a watch enthusiast. Ed) who got chatting to him and in the end Richard decided to sell the watch. Well, this was quite a rare Autavia and in fact dubbed the Rindt – after the ill- fated F1 driver Jochen Rindt who also wore one. So, the watch was sold, and for around £28,000! Anyway, Richard was a really nice guy and generous with his time. Oh, that reminds me, Richard recalls doing hill climbs at Castle Howard in the 60’s in a Lotus!!
By this time the cars were streaming in, but I then noticed near the Castle there was a nicely restored Series 1 Land Rover. As I got closer I recognised Castle Howard’s Estate CEO Jasper Hassel. He and another chap were organising a display of locally-produced products from Sloemotion – a local producer of interesting spirits. The Land Rover was in fact Jasper’s and the other soul was from Sloemotion. I had a brief chat and took the latter’s details down for later investigation, as I do like gin you see! I then moved on.
My next target was parked even nearer the Castle – a dark green Bentley, which turned out was owned by the family. It is in fact a series 1 from between 1955 – 1959, and was bought by George Howard. It is in fair condition – but as Nick’s wife Vicky mentioned to me later in the day “it could do with some work”! I noticed that it had the Howard’s Lion insignia on both rear doors. However, unlike some ostentatious displays, these were really very modest!!
I then made my way up and down the lines of cars. I took many pictures but, alas, far to many to show and write about in detail here. So, I have just picked some favourite images with information captions, thus;
I do not know how many cars were present in the end, but I would estimate 200 or more. They covered a huge age, value, and type range, with most being in great condition and some simply like new! Anyway, the show seemed to be a great success – with the weather holding out, so hopefully it will be repeated. I for one left with a smile on my face and with no small hankering to get back into the scene as soon as possible!
All words and images: The Writer