Harewood House blooms with art, flowers and gardens through the seasons

Just north of Leeds, Harewood House is one of the great country houses of Yorkshire, and 2026 has shown how much life a historic estate can hold across a single year. Its programme has brought together contemporary art, extraordinary flowers and the gardens that surround the house.

The year opened with an exhibition by the painter Charlotte Verity. Titled The Season Following, it ran from 23 January to 7 June and was the first time Verity had exhibited inside a historic country house.

Her paintings and prints were spread across five of Harewood's state rooms and arranged to follow the seasons, beginning in winter. It was a fitting idea for a house whose gardens change so dramatically through the year, and it gave regular visitors a fresh way to see familiar rooms.

Flowers have been a theme inside the house too. Leafy Couture created a series of silk floral arrangements across four rooms on the State Floor, displayed alongside rare Sèvres porcelain from the Harewood collection.

Outside, the spring highlight was Harewood in Bloom, which ran over the May bank holiday weekend from 2 to 4 May. Some 40,000 bulbs flowered across the grounds, with floral installations inside the house and workshops, trails and activities in between.

The celebration reached across the Terrace, the Walled Garden and the Lakeside Woodland Gardens. A walk-and-talk tour with the head gardener also looked ahead to the future of the South Garden, giving visitors a glimpse of plans still taking shape.

Harewood also keeps its doors open beyond the main summer season. Between 16 January and 22 March this year the house opened from Friday to Sunday, and the estate publishes a What's On guide so visitors can plan around winter weekends and seasonal events.

It all adds up to a place that rewards repeat visits. The house, the art and the gardens shift with the calendar, and there is always something different to discover on a return trip.

Harewood House is a short drive from Leeds city centre. The latest events, opening days and tickets are listed on the Harewood website, which is the best place to check before you set off.