Harewood has regularly been used as a backdrop for filming; this winter is no different! During December and on into spring, Harewood will be used as a location for new ITV drama, Victoria, which will air on ITV. The ambitious 8-part drama follows the early life of Queen Victoria, from her ascension to the throne at the tender age of 18, through to her courtship and marriage to Prince Albert. Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who, Death Comes to Pemberley, Dancing on the Edge) will star as a young Queen Victoria.

Jenna Coleman said: “I am delighted to be cast as Queen Victoria in this ambitious drama of her life. She is a vivid, strong, inspirational and utterly fascinating woman in British history and I can’t wait to tell her story.”

BAFTA-nominated actor Rufus Sewell (The Man in the High Castle, Parade’s End, The Pillars of the Earth) has been cast alongside Jenna Coleman in the series.

Rufus Sewell stars as Lord Melbourne, Victoria’s first prime minister. The two immediately connected and their intimate friendship became a popular source of gossip that threatened to destabilise the Government – angering both Tory and Whigs alike.

Jenna and Rufus are joined by a stellar ensemble cast including Paul Rhys (The Assets, Borgia, Being Human) as Sir John Conroy, the ambitious controller of the Duchess of Kent’s household, who controlled Victoria’s upbringing, hoping to rule through her, when she came to the throne. Peter Firth (Spooks, Undeniable, World Without End) is the Queen’s conniving uncle the Duke of Cumberland and Catherine Flemming (Simones Labyrinth, No Place to Go) plays the Duchess of Kent, Queen Victoria’s mother.

Eve Myles (You, Me & Them, Broadchurch, Torchwood) plays Mrs Jenkins, the Queen’s senior dresser and Adrian Schiller (Suffragette, Residue, Endeavour) is Penge, the Household Steward. Nichola McAuliffe (Agatha Raisin: The Quiche of Death, Coronation Street) is the ruthless Duchess of Cumberland, Daniela Holtz (Phoenix, Der Verdacht) is Victoria’s governess and confidante Baroness Lehzen, and Nell Hudson (Outlander, Call the Midwife, Les Bohemes) plays the mysterious new member of the household, Miss Skerrett. Tommy-Lawrence Knight (The Sarah Jane Adventures) also joins the royal household as the hall boy, Brodie.

Nigel Lindsay (You, Me and the Apocalypse, The Tunnel, The Fear) is Sir Robert Peel, the leader of the Tory party. Alice Orr-Ewing (The Theory of Everything, Pramface) is cast as Lady Flora Hastings, lady-in-waiting to Victoria’s mother, the Duchess of Kent.

Mammoth Screen, producers of Poldark (BBC One) and Endeavour (ITV), and the series is created and written by acclaimed novelist Daisy Goodwin, in her screenwriting debut.

The series will open with a 90-minute episode, followed by 7 one-hour episodes. Tom Vaughan (Doctor Foster, He Knew He Was Right, Starter For Ten) opens the series as director and Paul Frift (Doctor Who, That Day We Sang, Room at the Top) will produce the landmark series.

See ITV Press for more details.

In 2016 The Treasure Houses of England will be marking the 300th anniversary of ‘Capability’ Brown and celebrating the English Garden. Visitors can enjoy ten of the most magnificent stately homes, castles and palaces each with its own unique garden and parkland to explore.

Celebrate the English Garden at Beaulieu. This ‘beautiful place’ has a variety of antique and modern gardens to visit. From the Victorian Flower Garden, created in recognition of the Victorians’ interest in plants and gardens, to the Ornamental Kitchen Garden which houses and abundance of apple and pear trees, potted figs and lemons, hedges of yew and purple beech as well as a traditional vegetable garden. Enjoy the manicured lawns of Palace House which contrasts with the informal Wilderness Garden, dating back to the 1700s. Beaulieu provides a colourful and varied day out for garden lovers.

Blenheim Palace sits within 2,000 acres of Capability Brown landscape. Visitors can expect an exciting calendar of activity including specialist garden tours, a new temporary exhibition, self-guided trail and guided walks. Opening in February 2016 the new temporary exhibition will share ‘Capability’ Brown’s work at Blenheim Palace across the 11 years he was commissioned (1763 – 1774) through detailed accounts of how he designed and executed such a masterpiece through photography, drawings, equipment and costumes with a selection of never-been-seen-before elements.  There are 13 key vistas that will be marked out at Blenheim Palace in the ‘Capability’ Brown trail; these allow visitors to see the best examples of Brown’s designs around the Parkland. Visitors will also be able to enjoy carriage rides in the Parkland on selected summer dates.

Celebrating ‘Capability’ Brown’s longest commission, which included not only landscape gardening, but also architecture, Burghley is undergoing an extensive restoration to restore the original views and vistas he created. By re-creating the natural look visitors will be able to enjoy Brown’s landscaping vision in all its glory in time for his tercentenary, which is also being marked with a host of events and activities. Visitors can enjoy new self-guided tours of the major elements, a special exhibition staged within the House as well as a series of lectures and special group tours that will offer more in-depth exploration of Brown’s landscape and architectural designs during his 20-year association with Burghley.

Castle Howard sits in 1,000 acres of breath-taking parkland in the rolling Howardian Hills. Meander through woodland and along lakeside terraces which offer spectacular view of temples, follies and the imposing Atlas Fountain. The formal 18th century walled garden is a haven of tranquillity with herbaceous borders filled with English country garden favourites, a carp pond and shaped hornbeam hedges. In the rose garden a fine collection of roses ramble up the wall and over archways filling the garden with perfume and colour in the summer. In the ornamental vegetable garden, sweet pea wigwams sit amongst vegetable patches filled with traditional crops from runner beans and cauliflowers to rhubarb, strawberries and more.

Having evolved over more than 450 years, the 105 acre Chatsworth garden continues to change today. There is plenty to discover at every turn, including permanent sculptures to be found. The garden is famous for its rich history, historic and modern waterworks and sculptures, the Victorian rock garden and the maze. From the famous waterworks which include the 300 year old Cascade, the Squirting Willow Tree Fountain and the impressive gravity-fed Emperor Fountain, to the Maze, Rockery, Rose, Cottage and Kitchen Gardens. There are also over five miles of walks with rare trees, shrubs, streams and ponds to discover.

Harewood House will celebrate the magnificent landscape gardener, ‘Capability’ Brown with an interesting calendar of activities including a new temporary exhibition ‘Art of Landscape, which will run from 25^th March – 30^th November. The exhibition will celebrate the influence that Brown has extended to some of Britain’s most well-known artists. Showing works from great masters who have engaged intimately with the vistas created by Brown, visitors will be able to see watercolours of Harewood, produced in the late eighteenth century by celebrated artists including JMW Turner, Cotman, and Girtin will be displayed alongside photographs by pioneering Victorian photographer Roger Fenton, who captured the Brownian views in 1860. A contemporary response by Simon Warner will take visitors through the landscape in a new film titled “North and South”. The Art of Landscape presents a full and fresh assessment of the cultural influence of the “Capability” Brown design at Harewood.

Enjoy a celebration of the Formal Gardens at Hatfield House. The West Garden contains a Knot Garden styled to an Elizabethan design, a glorious parterre, topiary, planted borders and many fantastic flowers and shrubs. Discover the Old Palace Garden which is an intricate design, bordered by box and containing a mini-maze in one of its four sections. This garden or parterre was originally surrounded on all sides. From the Pleached Lime Walk through to the Sundial Garden, visitors can also enjoy The East Garden which is open one day per week; The East Garden was laid out by the 5^th Marquess of Salisbury. This part of the Garden has elegant parterres, topiary and rare plants are a delight for the gardening enthusiast and for those wishing to spend a quiet time in idyllic surroundings.

An exciting project is underway at Holkham Hall to restore the 6 acres of walled gardens which were originally laid out by Samuel Wyatt during the late 1700s. Step through Venetian iron-work gates into one of the seven rooms whose walls within the gardens act as a windbreak and reflect the sun to create a gentle microclimate. In Victorian times these gardens would have provided a constant and varied supply of food and decoration to the hall; today Holkham’s modern vegetable garden provides produce for the family’s kitchen whilst a newly planted vineyard will provide fruits for grape juice and the table, once established. At the far end of the gardens one room has been laid to lawn with surrounding flower beds and will be the venue of the annual Holkham Plant Fair.

Leeds Castle is set within 500 acres of beautiful grounds, of which the beautiful Culpeper Garden is a must-visit. Designed by one of the greatest garden designers of the 20th Century, Russell Page the garden takes its name partly from Sir Thomas Culpeper, who bought the Castle in 1632, and partly from Nicholas Culpeper, the 17th century herbalist. The Culpeper Garden was originally the site of the castle’s kitchen garden; however in 1980 Page transformed it into a large cottage garden. With its informal layout and low box hedges as a border this very English garden features Roses, Lupins, Poppies and Lads’ Love, with exotic blooms mixed in to create a profusion of colour and scent. In 2016, the Gardening Team will continue to develop the Culpeper Garden, adding new plants to boost the variety of species and colour for visitors to feast their eyes on, particularly worth a visit in early summer when the garden is fragrant and at its tallest.

Woburn Abbey’s tranquil Abbey Gardens are open for everyone to enjoy the brilliance of Humphry Repton’s original designs. Visitors can enjoy approximately 30 acres of serene formal and natural garden environments: from manicured lawns and colourful flower beds to peaceful woodland glades and ponds teeming with life.  Discover the Cone House, recently reconstructed with reference to historic plans for a menagerie in the Abbey grounds. Also, the Bog Garden with its carnivorous plants is beautiful in all seasons, and the Doric Temple, which was carefully restored last year, exudes romance and elegance. There are many other features to see as well, and the gardens are constantly evolving as restoration work continues.

We’re often asked why Harewood House closes to the public during the winter months. There are in fact, a number of projects that we are unable to complete when the doors are open to the public. This winter is no different! The team are busy delivering a whole host of activities to ensure that the House, grounds and Bird Garden are maintained. Here’s a snippet of what’s going on behind the scenes.

In the House:

Cleaning the Libraries at Harewood House, Yorkshire

Protecting the fabric of Harewood House and the collections we manage takes a huge amount of work and planning. The simplest task like dusting the top of a bookshelf requires scaffolding! Cleaning the floors is another challenge. To remove a delicate carpets from the State Rooms can take up to 10 members of staff over an hour. Only then can our expert housekeepers polish the entire floor. These are all jobs that form part of the winter cleaning schedule which is a rolling programme of work completed during our closed season.

In the Gardens:

A view of the Terrace at Harewood

Our gardeners are now hard at work preparing the borders for the harsh winter months. On the Terrace, 3 members of staff and 8 volunteers removed 20,000 bedding plants and replaced them with spring bulbs ready for the 2016 season. Heavily scented hyacinth and violas form part of the planting scheme visitors will be able to enjoy.

Caring for our trees is another important aspect of winter maintenance programme in the grounds. Each year a survey is conducted which informs the work that we need to complete. Our specialists consider the condition of the individual trees, their location, hazards, disease, storm damage and any areas of dead wood which may need to be removed. All these aspects are taken into account before tree surgeons climb scale these magnificent plants and make sure they are in the best possible condition.

In the Bird Garden:

Tree clearing in the Bird Garden

The Bird Garden is undergoing a major change this winter with tree clearing and maintenance starting off this exciting project. We are in the process of finalising plans for an enhanced bird collection, aviary repair work and more. Watch this space for updates throughout the winter months!

These are just some of the activities which take place behind the scenes when we are closed. They form a very important function to protect, maintain and develop Harewood House Trust for future generations.

Following a hugely successful first festival in 2015, Geronimo is proud to announce it is returning with a new second home at Harewood House, just outside Leeds.

Taking place over the weekends of 1 – 2 May (Harewood House), Geronimo is back, bigger and better with a huge programme of events lined up for both venues.

Set against the wonderful woodland backdrops of two of England’s premier visitor attractions, Geronimo will yet again be delivering an exciting array of acts, amazing experiences and wonderful adventures, including lots of new attractions – all resulting in a fantastic family day out.

Festival Director, Simon Goldman said: “After the huge success of Geronimo at Tatton Park in 2015, we decided to look for another venue to give even more families the chance to enjoy the Geronimo experience. As a father of seven, I know how hard it is to find quality days out that cater for the whole family. With Geronimo, we’ve created a festival that’s going to keep the kids entertained all day long, and create memories that will last a lot longer.

“Expect a line up jam packed with some of the biggest names in children’s entertainment, a brand new theatre and literary zone with award winning productions and a second stage featuring live music. And there are hundreds of other crazy and unusual activities like giant Tortoise encounters, stone carving and a crime scene for kids to solve. This really is the chance to tick off some of your 50 things to do before you’re 11 and three quarters!

The programme, includes:

The return of Mr Bloom to the Geronostage Zone! Geronimites can ‘pop along’ and say ‘Ello!’ with Mr Bloom, where there’ll be a bundle of veggie stories, gardening games, and catchy nursery songs for tiddlers and parents alike. Alex Winters from Cbeebies will be hosting the main stage each day alongside popular children’s TV presenter, Katy Ashworth, who will be performing live on stage each day, along with daily meet and greets. Join Cook and Line from Swashbuckle in a rip-roaring pirate adventure! Full of fun songs and silly slapstick comedy, this energetic and interactive performance will be loved by children of all ages.

The Adrenaline Zone will challenge even the bravest adventurers with tree climbing, den making and a thrilling zip line that will reach speeds of up to 60KPH! For those who like things a little less fast paced, there are fencing and archery taster lessons and Parkour sessions where Geronimites can learn how to jump and roll like a Pro.

New for 2016 is the Arena Zone, an extravaganza of live displays featuring motorbike display teams, sheepdog shows with a difference (we haven’t got any sheep so we had to use geese instead!) and owls in the falconry show – on horseback (what else would you expect at Geronimo?). For history fans, watch the Knights of the Royal Order as they carry out a live joust, or check out a local band of cowboys showing off their horse handling skills.

If you thought the Library Zone sounded dull then think again! Join some dance classes to learn Bollywood or Zumba moves or enjoy a gigantic drumming session – beware, it’s going to be noisy! For fans of Frozen, there will be a Frozen singalong and the talented Mr Yipadees show will be bringing instruments to life.

Catch award winning theatre productions in The Theatre Zone, with Pocket Story Theatre – winner of the primary times children’s choice awards at the Edinburgh Fringe. Fabularium is the most eccentric of travelling shows and Les Enfants Terrible present the Imaginary Menagerie— travel with Dr Longitude as he regales you with his strange stories and takes about his travels.

Gasp in awe at the breathtaking aerial trapeze show, try your hand at plate spinning, or hop onto stilts in the Circus Zone. This zone also includes a full circus show and Circus fudge will also be performing his show from Glastonbury festival – don’t miss it!

Enjoy a hands-on wildlife experience in The Pasture Zone where kids of all ages can climb aboard for a ride on one of the donkeys or Shetland ponies. Crocodile Joe will be hosting his amazing reptile show and new for this year, there will be the largest collection of giant Tortoises coming to Geronimo.

In the 3ft and Under Zone, little ones can join a fun class with Tumble Tots, take a ride on a balance bike or take a dance lesson with baby ballet. For the tiny tots, simply chill out in the baby yoga tent.

Fans of live music are in for a treat at the Bandstand Zone with popular acts on throughout the day. The lineup will be announced shortly.

Creative kids can join in the many craft workshops in the Funky Junk Zone. From amazing woodwork workshops, hair braiding, face painting and fairy making workshops, to stone carving and totem pole making, there is something for everyone to get stuck in to.

Or why not enjoy some old fashioned fun in the Fairground Zone? With an old fashioned Helter Skelter, traditional carousel and steam powered swing chairs for kids and grown ups who are still kids at heart!

And where better to have some fun than in the beautiful woodlands of Harewood House? Transformed into the Woodland Zone, Geronimites can make a mud pie or fairy potion, learn to create a whistle from a carrot or build a den. Older kids can monkey around in the trees in a mobile high ropes course or strap on a helmet and ride the mountain bike course.

Tickets are on sale now at geronimofest.com, priced from £18.50pp. A ticket for Geronimo Harewood also includes access to Below Stairs of the House.

As winter closes in, another busy season at Harewood has drawn to a close. We would like to thank you for playing your part in our busy 2015 year.

We kicked off 2015 in style with our busiest ever ‘Spring at Harewood’. We welcomed thousands of people across the school Easter holidays to enjoy the great outdoors bursting into life.

April 2015: Visitors explore the great outdoors at ‘Spring at Harewood’

Our 2015 exhibition programme saw Harewood’s own stories take centre stage. ‘The Art of Conservation’ allowed you to see how we care for Harewood’s extensive Chippendale furniture collection. The exhibition included beautiful drawings made by the Chippendale workshop, video’s of the State Bed being restored and some of the furniture itself.

April 2015: A look behind the scenes at some of the techniques used by expert conservators

In the Watercolour Rooms, we explored Harewood’s Rum Story. This popular tale told, in detail, about the worlds oldest and most expensive rum was discovered in the cellars in 2011.

April 2015: The oldest & most expensive rum in the world

We ended our 2015 season with a Summer of Sculpture examining the human form. The stunning Gaudier-Brzeska exhibition in the Terrace Gallery, ran in conjunction with Kettle’s Yard, looked for the first time, at Brzeska’s fascination with dance and form. In the Watercolour Rooms, emerging artist Thomas J Price exhibited his works. These pieces share a preoccupations with the body and the face in particular using the minute detail of facial expressions as the centre focus.

The CLA Game Fair marked the biggest event on Harewood’s calendar celebrating field sports in Britain, including clay pigeon shooting, fishing, falconry, horse & hound and more. We welcomed 150,000 visitors to Harewood for the CLA Game Fair despite some bad weather. Almost all of our 4500 acres were used for everything from camping to off-road driving experiences.

CLA Game Fair at Harewood House in Yorkshire

With winter preparations already underway, the closed season will see the whole team involved with our extensive Bird Garden redevelopment project. Watch this space for exciting, new additions to the Harewood visitor experience when we re-open our gates in 2016!

Some of these birds have been at Harewood since 1969

Following on from the success of ‘The Art of Conservation’, and to mark the tercentenary of Lancelot “Capability” Brown’s birth, 2016 will see our new exhibition ‘The Art of Landscape‘ kick off the season. With 1000 acres of Brownian designed parkland, we will be exploring the brilliance behind the immense landscapes he created here at Harewood.

Lancelot “Capability” Brown

Once again, thank you for your continued support. With lots of exciting things already lined up, 2016 promises to be another great year at Harewood and we look forward to welcoming you back next year!