Castle Howard, South Front

Slide 2– The designing of Castle Howard is the earliest architectural effort in which, so far as we have any evidence, Sir John Vanbrugh was concerned. He was at work on it in 1699, yet a letter that he wrote a fortnight before his death in 1726 deals with details of the still unfinished creation. It, therefore, covers his whole architectural career, and the surviving documents realting to the building of the house and its dependencies yield us interesting side-lights as to his architectural status and functions. A touch of mystery ever adds zest to the study of a subject or of a character, and we come across more than a touch of it when we probe the dark recesses of Vanbrugh’s early life and connection with architecture. Castle Howard was built for Charles, the third Earl of Carlisle. The South Front is spacious and imposing. It consists of pediment and entablature, and a cupola and dome in the centre is approached by a flight of steps.