In Conversation with Nick Howard
In this exclusive interview, David Hill sits down with Nick Howard, the current custodian of the historic Castle Howard estate, to discuss a groundbreaking environmental restoration strategy that's transforming 440 acres of land into a thriving nature recovery and rewilding project, also known as a Habitat Bank.
Castle Howard is one of the UK’s most majestic properties, starring on television and the big screen in productions such as Brideshead Revisited, Bridgerton, Death Comes to Pemberley, Victoria and more.
Nick talks through why sustainable land management is so important to him and his family, and how this motivates the habitat restoration strategy at Castle Howard.
Tell us about the history of Castle Howard
Castle Howard has been in my family since it was built by my ancestor, the 3rd Earl of Carlisle, in 1699. The construction of the Castle took over a century, spanning the lifetimes of three Earls.
The Castle suffered a devastating fire in November 1940, destroying the famous dome, which collapsed into the Great Hall, liquefying the lead and causing it to flow into the Hall. Nearly a third of the building was left exposed to the elements, but my parents George Howard and Lady Cecilia undertook a major restoration and conservation campaign, and the Castle you see today is testament to that.
The landscape here on the Howard estate is truly stunning. Has that inspired you to have a passion for the natural environment?
I grew up here, and was lucky enough to play outside in this beautiful landscape and truly get to know it.
I’ve always been conscious of the beauty and importance of the landscape here in North Yorkshire, especially over the last twenty years, as the effects of climate change have become more evident. Farming is a major part of estate life, so from the start, my wife Victoria and I were determined to be proactive in our approach to land management.
What makes Castle Howard's approach to land management unique?
Our view is that the landscape is equally as important as the architecture. We pride ourselves on having both built and natural heritage, which are extremely precious to us.
The estate is transitioning from traditional chemical-intensive farming to regenerative agriculture. By creating a Habitat Bank, we are preserving nature and creating a model for other landowners to follow.
What are the key features of the habitat restoration you are undertaking?
We began researching what sustainable land management could look like as soon as we began running the estate, visiting several responsibly-managed estates and nature recovery projects around the country to build our knowledge.
It became clear that Habitat Banks are a way to both restore biodiversity and create a sustainable income stream, proving that environmental restoration can be commercially viable. From there, we decided to work with Environment Bank to implement the Habitat Bank model here on the estate.
Our Habitat Bank project includes woodland, wetlands, wet grasslands, and traditional orchards. We have a number of exciting plans, including beaver reintroduction, which will act as natural ‘hydrological engineers’. The goal is to increase biodiversity by 200% and sequester hundreds of thousands of tons of CO2.
What’s your vision for the future?
Our primary motivation is to leave the estate more beautiful and ecologically rich than we found it. I am deeply inspired by the potential of nature to regenerate when given the opportunity - simply look at the remarkable recovery seen in places such as Yellowstone National Park.
Nature has an extraordinary capacity for recovery. A few years ago, we decided to stop mowing the grass at the front of the Castle and down by the South Lake. It looked absolutely wonderful as it grew, and as the years have passed, more and more wildflowers have appeared. The natural world creates beauty, if given the opportunity to thrive.