Journey through Great Britain to discover hidden gems like a Harry Potter filming location, a castle reminscent of Downtown Abbey and a unique vacation destination for book lovers. In North Yorkshire, England, Darley Newman shares an insider's tour of iconic Castle Howard with guide Jane Blunt, delving into its history and the visionary mind of architect John Vanbrugh. She takes you to Goathland Station, a Harry Potter filming location in the quaint village featured as Aidensfield in the British drama Heartbeat. How about a literary escape in Wales? At Gladstone’s Library, Peter Francis leads Darley on a tour of the stacks and to see the reading rooms and accomodations at the UK’s only prime-ministerial library... where you can also stay the night. Look for Darley's travel tips and videos on social media @darleynewman and @TravelswithDarley and her PBS and streaming series.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Windswept moors, quintessentially English countryside,
(00:03):
and bucolic abbey ruins,
such is Yorkshire, called by many, the Garden of England.
We're discovering the history and present culture of this area that serves as an inspiration
both for the holy, the creatively blessed, and literary greats.
It's the Travels With Darley Podcast, and in this episode, we're in Great Britain.
(00:24):
We're visiting Castle Howard in Northern England.
Queen Victoria came to this area into her great delight.
They had installed across where the railings are there in gaslights.
God Save The Queen.
A train station featured in a Harry Potter movies and the British drama Heartbeat.
And a place where you can unplug and vacation among books,
(00:45):
at Gladstone's Library in Wales.
So he was the man, in fact, who invented sliding shelves in libraries.
Like so, he was a little known fact.
Fans of Downton Abbey and historic stately homes
should add Castle Howard in North Yorkshire to their travel list.
(01:07):
Consistently ranking high on lists of the world's best mansions,
Castle Howard is one of the most magnificent homes in England.
And the story of the family who still keeps it running today
may remind you of the fictional Crawley family in Downton Abbey.
Enter the driveway, what's called the Avenue,
A five mile beach-lined road.
(01:29):
It's more than impressive.
And once you reach Castle Howard, both the outside and inside are striking.
And there's a world of intriguing stories and anecdotes
that history expert Jane Blunt relays on a tour.
If we go back to 1699, the third Earl decided to build a house here
because it was closer to the city of London.
(01:49):
He lived at now with Castle, which was nine days and nine nights to get to London.
And if he bought and built a house here, it was only four days.
So he decided to build and he asked all the architects and found John Vanbrugh,
who strangely had never built a house before.
This was his very first house.
(02:09):
But he was a man full of ideas and broke the conventional rules.
So if we look at the house here, you can see not only one classical order,
but many. The pilasters there are Doric, the groove work, the lines you see,
scored our Gothic Rustication, which had completely gone out of fashion.
And Vanbrugh brings it back. The skyline is bristling with urns and statues and things to see.
(02:33):
And it is said that the people who first came to visit Castle Howard would
draw up in their coaches over there, step out, behold the building,
and had to reach for their laudanum and their fans, such was their shock
when they beheld this building. The architect, John Vanbrugh,
was not only radical in his designs for Castle Howard,
and even for undertaking the role of architect for this massive project
(02:56):
with no formal training and architecture, but equally daring throughout his life,
spending time in prison for trying to overthrow the Catholic king James II.
And writing a series of plays deemed by many as risque.
But you've got to realize that Vanbrugh was a man of vision.
They say he was an epic architect, and one of the examples of that is the view you see here.
(03:21):
Stunning. We're looking out over a velvety, verdant green grass to a series of lakes
lined with a patchwork of trees in the distance, just starting to change colors for the fall,
including a bright red maple. The usual role of building a house was east-west in configuration.
This was because of religious tradition, cathedrals and churches face east to Jerusalem.
(03:45):
And by habit, houses seem to follow the same way.
But he said, my lord, I'm sure he said, look at the view.
It is spectacular, whereas if we face the house east, it faces
Ray Wood, which was the medieval deer park, and nice,
but not as spectacular as this.
And this was what was in Vanbrugh's mind. He didn't just think about the house,
(04:07):
and it's immediate surroundings. He thought about it on an epic scale,
all the way out to the horizon.
And equally epic inside, where further innovations in design
opened visitors' eyes and minds to a new way of building and living.
So one of the unusual things about this house is that we have corridors.
(04:27):
We assume that all houses had them, but up until the building of Castle Howard,
you progressed through a house from room to room and very inconvenient it was.
Though short halls and passageways were in use, Castle Howards' long corridors
were innovative in Britain for their time period.
And Vanbrugh even had to explain what the word meant to the Duchess of Marlborough.
(04:49):
It took more than 100 years to complete Castle Howard,
and though this isn't the home where Downton Abbey is filmed,
it has been a private home for over 300 years.
And much like the fictional Crawley family,
the Howard clan has become creative in their methods of preserving this great estate.
Castle Howard has served as a backdrop for a variety of productions,
(05:11):
including the 1981 TV series and 2008 film version of Brideshead Revisited.
It's also open to visitors.
If you're coming to tour this wonderful home, take a moment in the Great Hall,
where I crane my neck to look from the black and white tile floor to the glorious dome above,
painted in frescoes.
(05:32):
Queen Victoria came to visit here into her great delight.
They had installed across where the railings are there,
and gaslights God Save The Queen, and everybody was so delighted to see such an amazing sight.
What a welcome!
Well the hall is great enough, and then I can only imagine having that added to it.
Exactly.
(05:52):
Bit of a fire hazard though.
And while they didn't roll out the red carpet or gas lights during my visit,
I, like many other visitors to Castle Howard, stand in awe of its beauty,
and all its historic eccentricities.
Another famous film site in the Yorkshire countryside is just 45 minutes down the
(06:16):
brood from Castle Howard. Fans of Harry Potter may want to add this UK destination to their
travel list. Goathland Station was a set for the fictional Hogsmeade station, serving both the
village of Hogsmeade and the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Harry Potter films.
Though you can't take the Hogwarts Express here, you can take a steam train or heritage diesel train
(06:40):
to the station. And it's not just famous for Harry Potter. The British police drama Heartbeat
was also filmed here. In the village of Goathland. With a shop and tearoom on site,
you can hang out for a bit at this station or explore the town and nearby National Park.
Just don't hold your breath waiting for Hagrid.
(07:04):
Near the border of England in Wales, we're unplugging for one of the most unique
vacations I've heard about to date, at a library that looks like it would have come straight
out of Harry Potter. Travelers visiting Gladstone's Library may find themselves on vacation and
quiet nook with a good book, or perhaps lounging by a fireplace reading. Gladstone's Library is the
(07:26):
only residential library in Britain, and it's only Prime Ministerial Library too. And you can stay
on site, taking a literary vacation to new heights. William Gladstone, the library's namesake,
was Prime Minister of Great Britain four times. Peter Francis and I walk through the stacks to hear
the story. Peter, how many books are in this collection? There are about 250,000 books of which,
(07:56):
about 30,000 were Gladstone's original books, and he read a staggering 22,000 of them. That's about
a book a day, and it's not so he wasn't doing other things. He was Prime Minister four times,
a finance minister for 13 years, and so he had a very full life, and yet he still found time to read.
(08:16):
I think you get the impression with Gladstone that work and sleep equals 24, there's no
lollying about watching Homeland or something. That makes me feel really badly about my reading
level at this point. I know, I know, I know. Because he was so involved with books, he also was very keen on how they
were shelved and so on, so he was the man in fact who invented sliding shelves, libraries.
(08:41):
Which was a little known fact, because also we have all his private papers, his library was very much
the model, the template for presidential libraries. Woodrow Wilson was fascinated by Gladstone,
and it sort of started from there. So lots of contributions here? Lots of contributions, yeah.
Yes, and of the 22,000 books that Gladstone read, he actually, it was a close reading, he actually made
(09:09):
annotations often all the way through the books and sometimes little comments on them. I'll see if I can
find one for you, let's see. Be a little nice thing to come upon. Yes, well, I mean, you know the
chances are, because half of them do have annotations. Here, for instance, his biography of Wilberforce,
the anti-slavery campaigner, and I know at the end of this one, there's a quote about,
(09:32):
"I breakfasted with Mr. Wilberforce on the 25th of July, four days before his death. He asked
for my father and how is your sweet mother. His conversation was cheerful, musical and flowing. His
prayer like that of one already released,". And it says little details that make the books come alive,
I think, and they're all on the shelves, people can just browse and look at them.
(09:56):
Little treasures you can find if you come here to read. Indeed. And insight into Gladstone.
And insight into Gladstone. A different place to relax and learn something new in our
increasingly technological world. For those who want to stay at Gladstone's Library, there are over
25 rooms on site. Inside the reading rooms, a theology room, and restaurant, you'll likely run
(10:18):
into writers, composers, and fellow readers seeking solace within the wooden wall library.
As I depart the Neo-Gothic Victorian library in North Wales, I stop in a reading room and
notice a couple lounging by a fireplace and smile to myself. Excited to find yet another unique
place in the world where travelers can truly unwind. While many travelers go to London and Great Britain,
(10:45):
if you head further afield to northern England and Wales, there are hidden gems like these to discover,
and they're well worth your time. I'm Darley Newman and I hope you've enjoyed going off the
beaten path with me in Great Britain. Thanks for listening to the Travels with Darley Podcast.
Please subscribe for adventures further afield and close to home in the USA. I'm Darley Newman and I
(11:09):
appreciate you.
Windswept moors, quintessentially English countryside,
(00:03):
and bucolic abbey ruins,
such is Yorkshire, called by many, the Garden of England.
We're discovering the history and present culture of this area that serves as an inspiration
both for the holy, the creatively blessed, and literary greats.
It's the Travels With Darley Podcast, and in this episode, we're in Great Britain.
(00:24):
We're visiting Castle Howard in Northern England.
Queen Victoria came to this area into her great delight.
They had installed across where the railings are there in gaslights.
God Save The Queen.
A train station featured in a Harry Potter movies and the British drama Heartbeat.
And a place where you can unplug and vacation among books,
(00:45):
at Gladstone's Library in Wales.
So he was the man, in fact, who invented sliding shelves in libraries.
Like so, he was a little known fact.
Fans of Downton Abbey and historic stately homes
should add Castle Howard in North Yorkshire to their travel list.
(01:07):
Consistently ranking high on lists of the world's best mansions,
Castle Howard is one of the most magnificent homes in England.
And the story of the family who still keeps it running today
may remind you of the fictional Crawley family in Downton Abbey.
Enter the driveway, what's called the Avenue,
A five mile beach-lined road.
(01:29):
It's more than impressive.
And once you reach Castle Howard, both the outside and inside are striking.
And there's a world of intriguing stories and anecdotes
that history expert Jane Blunt relays on a tour.
If we go back to 1699, the third Earl decided to build a house here
because it was closer to the city of London.
(01:49):
He lived at now with Castle, which was nine days and nine nights to get to London.
And if he bought and built a house here, it was only four days.
So he decided to build and he asked all the architects and found John Vanbrugh,
who strangely had never built a house before.
This was his very first house.
(02:09):
But he was a man full of ideas and broke the conventional rules.
So if we look at the house here, you can see not only one classical order,
but many. The pilasters there are Doric, the groove work, the lines you see,
scored our Gothic Rustication, which had completely gone out of fashion.
And Vanbrugh brings it back. The skyline is bristling with urns and statues and things to see.
(02:33):
And it is said that the people who first came to visit Castle Howard would
draw up in their coaches over there, step out, behold the building,
and had to reach for their laudanum and their fans, such was their shock
when they beheld this building. The architect, John Vanbrugh,
was not only radical in his designs for Castle Howard,
and even for undertaking the role of architect for this massive project
(02:56):
with no formal training and architecture, but equally daring throughout his life,
spending time in prison for trying to overthrow the Catholic king James II.
And writing a series of plays deemed by many as risque.
But you've got to realize that Vanbrugh was a man of vision.
They say he was an epic architect, and one of the examples of that is the view you see here.
(03:21):
Stunning. We're looking out over a velvety, verdant green grass to a series of lakes
lined with a patchwork of trees in the distance, just starting to change colors for the fall,
including a bright red maple. The usual role of building a house was east-west in configuration.
This was because of religious tradition, cathedrals and churches face east to Jerusalem.
(03:45):
And by habit, houses seem to follow the same way.
But he said, my lord, I'm sure he said, look at the view.
It is spectacular, whereas if we face the house east, it faces
Ray Wood, which was the medieval deer park, and nice,
but not as spectacular as this.
And this was what was in Vanbrugh's mind. He didn't just think about the house,
(04:07):
and it's immediate surroundings. He thought about it on an epic scale,
all the way out to the horizon.
And equally epic inside, where further innovations in design
opened visitors' eyes and minds to a new way of building and living.
So one of the unusual things about this house is that we have corridors.
(04:27):
We assume that all houses had them, but up until the building of Castle Howard,
you progressed through a house from room to room and very inconvenient it was.
Though short halls and passageways were in use, Castle Howards' long corridors
were innovative in Britain for their time period.
And Vanbrugh even had to explain what the word meant to the Duchess of Marlborough.
(04:49):
It took more than 100 years to complete Castle Howard,
and though this isn't the home where Downton Abbey is filmed,
it has been a private home for over 300 years.
And much like the fictional Crawley family,
the Howard clan has become creative in their methods of preserving this great estate.
Castle Howard has served as a backdrop for a variety of productions,
(05:11):
including the 1981 TV series and 2008 film version of Brideshead Revisited.
It's also open to visitors.
If you're coming to tour this wonderful home, take a moment in the Great Hall,
where I crane my neck to look from the black and white tile floor to the glorious dome above,
painted in frescoes.
(05:32):
Queen Victoria came to visit here into her great delight.
They had installed across where the railings are there,
and gaslights God Save The Queen, and everybody was so delighted to see such an amazing sight.
What a welcome!
Well the hall is great enough, and then I can only imagine having that added to it.
Exactly.
(05:52):
Bit of a fire hazard though.
And while they didn't roll out the red carpet or gas lights during my visit,
I, like many other visitors to Castle Howard, stand in awe of its beauty,
and all its historic eccentricities.
Another famous film site in the Yorkshire countryside is just 45 minutes down the
(06:16):
brood from Castle Howard. Fans of Harry Potter may want to add this UK destination to their
travel list. Goathland Station was a set for the fictional Hogsmeade station, serving both the
village of Hogsmeade and the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Harry Potter films.
Though you can't take the Hogwarts Express here, you can take a steam train or heritage diesel train
(06:40):
to the station. And it's not just famous for Harry Potter. The British police drama Heartbeat
was also filmed here. In the village of Goathland. With a shop and tearoom on site,
you can hang out for a bit at this station or explore the town and nearby National Park.
Just don't hold your breath waiting for Hagrid.
(07:04):
Near the border of England in Wales, we're unplugging for one of the most unique
vacations I've heard about to date, at a library that looks like it would have come straight
out of Harry Potter. Travelers visiting Gladstone's Library may find themselves on vacation and
quiet nook with a good book, or perhaps lounging by a fireplace reading. Gladstone's Library is the
(07:26):
only residential library in Britain, and it's only Prime Ministerial Library too. And you can stay
on site, taking a literary vacation to new heights. William Gladstone, the library's namesake,
was Prime Minister of Great Britain four times. Peter Francis and I walk through the stacks to hear
the story. Peter, how many books are in this collection? There are about 250,000 books of which,
(07:56):
about 30,000 were Gladstone's original books, and he read a staggering 22,000 of them. That's about
a book a day, and it's not so he wasn't doing other things. He was Prime Minister four times,
a finance minister for 13 years, and so he had a very full life, and yet he still found time to read.
(08:16):
I think you get the impression with Gladstone that work and sleep equals 24, there's no
lollying about watching Homeland or something. That makes me feel really badly about my reading
level at this point. I know, I know, I know. Because he was so involved with books, he also was very keen on how they
were shelved and so on, so he was the man in fact who invented sliding shelves, libraries.
(08:41):
Which was a little known fact, because also we have all his private papers, his library was very much
the model, the template for presidential libraries. Woodrow Wilson was fascinated by Gladstone,
and it sort of started from there. So lots of contributions here? Lots of contributions, yeah.
Yes, and of the 22,000 books that Gladstone read, he actually, it was a close reading, he actually made
(09:09):
annotations often all the way through the books and sometimes little comments on them. I'll see if I can
find one for you, let's see. Be a little nice thing to come upon. Yes, well, I mean, you know the
chances are, because half of them do have annotations. Here, for instance, his biography of Wilberforce,
the anti-slavery campaigner, and I know at the end of this one, there's a quote about,
(09:32):
"I breakfasted with Mr. Wilberforce on the 25th of July, four days before his death. He asked
for my father and how is your sweet mother. His conversation was cheerful, musical and flowing. His
prayer like that of one already released,". And it says little details that make the books come alive,
I think, and they're all on the shelves, people can just browse and look at them.
(09:56):
Little treasures you can find if you come here to read. Indeed. And insight into Gladstone.
And insight into Gladstone. A different place to relax and learn something new in our
increasingly technological world. For those who want to stay at Gladstone's Library, there are over
25 rooms on site. Inside the reading rooms, a theology room, and restaurant, you'll likely run
(10:18):
into writers, composers, and fellow readers seeking solace within the wooden wall library.
As I depart the Neo-Gothic Victorian library in North Wales, I stop in a reading room and
notice a couple lounging by a fireplace and smile to myself. Excited to find yet another unique
place in the world where travelers can truly unwind. While many travelers go to London and Great Britain,
(10:45):
if you head further afield to northern England and Wales, there are hidden gems like these to discover,
and they're well worth your time. I'm Darley Newman and I hope you've enjoyed going off the
beaten path with me in Great Britain. Thanks for listening to the Travels with Darley Podcast.
Please subscribe for adventures further afield and close to home in the USA. I'm Darley Newman and I
(11:09):
appreciate you.
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