CASTLE Howard is preparing to reopen to the public next month.

And Louise Bumby has been up to visit the venue to clean the historic site’s chimneys.

Louise visits the site every year before its opening to the public, scheduled for March 21, to clean the 19 chimneys.

Castle Howard, located near York, has a host of events lined up this year including a new tour of its pyramids.

Visitors can join the curatorial team on a walking tour to explore some of the structures up close.

The tour includes of the Pyramid Gatehouse, which welcomes most of the castle’s visitors each day.

And it will also take in the Hawksmoor’s Pyramid , which is rarely accessible to members of the public, as well as some of the estate’s lesser-known pyramids, that remain hidden from view.

The tours are scheduled to take place at 10.30am on April 25 and June 10, lasting approximately two-and-a-half hours.

For more information about events on offer at Castle Howard, visit https://www.castlehoward.co.uk/