Temple of the Four Winds

After we had seen all the rooms at Castle Howard where visitors were allowed (see my next-to-last post), we left the house and ventured into the grounds. We had a map and decided which parts we'd forego - the place is just so huge, we would have needed an entire day from morning to night to see everything without rushing.

Away from the house and up a hill much steeper than it looks here, we arrived at the top to find a water reservoir that still nurtures the fountains at lower ground level. It is a very quiet spot, surrounded by woodland, and I can well imagine that family members used to come here sometimes when they wanted to be on their own. 

A short walk through the woods - where there are such surprising features as this "Maya" pyramid - lead us to what was to leave the greatest impression on me: The Temple of the Four Winds.

On top of it being a very handsome building, it offers beautiful views from everywhere.

Of course we would have loved to go inside, but it is locked and cordoned off so that we could not even sneak a peek through the windows. On the official Castle Howard website, it says that the building was originally "used as a place for refreshment and reading, beneath it is a cellar where servants prepared the food they served to the family above." So maybe it is opened occasionally for the use of the family and their visitors, or one can rent it for special occasions.

I loved the way the statues seem to look out across the land in a... I don't know, melancholy way? It certainly is a place I want to come back to.

From here, we took a different part back towards the house, one that would take us to its other side and to the big fountain we had seen from inside. I'll show you that in my next post.