Boxwish Blog

Brideshead Revisited boosts tourism at Castle Howard

Posted by Team Boxwish on 06 November 2008 at 11.27AM

“It’s the most beautiful house I’ve ever seen,” gushes Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode) about Brideshead, the impressive stately pile he visits in the period drama and he’s not alone in thinking that way. Castle Howard stands in for Brideshead, the ancestral home to the Marchmain family in Brideshead Revisited and since the film’s release last month the number of tourists heading to the 18th Century Grade I listed property have soared. A tasty piece of luck as the movie’s producers had considered filming the adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s classic at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire (also recently seen in The Duchess) before plumping for the Yorkshire residence.

It provides a hearty slap on the back to Screen Yorkshire, the local agency responsible for promoting and supporting the area’s links with the entertainment industry as chief executive Sally Joynson explains: “This is fantastic news and demonstrates the impact that film and television production can have on raising the profile of destinations such as Castle Howard. Stimulating the growth of the region’s economy is one of the key motivations for Screen Yorkshire to invest in films such as Brideshead Revisited and, with a recent report showing that films are responsible for attracting one in five overseas visitors, attracting high-profile films to Yorkshire will continue to be a priority for us.”

Equally thrilled is Castle Howard’s operations manager Hannah Jones who has been overwhelmed by the impact the film has had. “The numbers this October half-term have been amazing, with more than 1,000 people each day – that’s double what we had last half-term,” she says. “Visitor numbers were up 18 per cent this October compared with last year. There’s no doubt that the release of Brideshead Revisited has encouraged people to visit.”

Currently closed, Castle Howard will look to further its visitor numbers later in the month when a Brideshead Revisited exhibition will open on 29th November. For more information about the stately home head to the official website here.

[via York Press]