Harewood House

In Radical Acts, craft is presented as a bridge between our roots and our future.

Hugo Macdonald, curator

Radical Acts: Why Craft Matters is about craft with social and environmental purpose. We tend to define craft as a process or a physical object; it is also time-honoured knowledge and a force for positive impact. Our second Harewood Biennial showcases 15 people and projects in the house and grounds that demonstrate how craft can be a radical act.

The word ‘radical’ comes from the Latin ‘radix’ meaning ‘root’. In Radical Acts, craft is presented as a bridge between our roots and our future. Each participant tackles an urgent issue of our modern lives with a resourceful attitude and hopeful intent. Craft addresses human connection, social equality and representation, climate change and conservation, material potential and natural resources, land use and landfill.

These are projects that seek to restore the equilibrium of our relationships with each other, with our habits and our habitat. Our biennial celebrates radical acts of resourcefulness, respect, restoration, regeneration and repair. There is much that we can learn from craft knowledge to help us build a healthier future with healthier systems, as individuals, communities and societies.

Our ambition with the Harewood Biennial is to introduce the many ways in which craft has real value to contemporary life. Radical Acts is also a call to arms; the show is filled with optimistic messages to inspire and empower people to think and act with purpose in their own daily lives. Every person has the power to make positive change and everybody counts. It is a radical act to take responsibility for our lifestyles and our livelihoods, and to discover that our future is in our hands.

Hugo Macdonald
Curator

Join us for an outdoor Christmas to remember at Harewood this December and explore the beautifully lit and festively decorated grounds and gardens. 

Take in the magical Harewood terrace, walk the lakeside path laced with festive festoon lights, enjoy takeaway food and drink and indulge in some Christmas shopping! 

Join us for an outdoor Christmas to remember at Harewood this December and explore the beautifully lit and festively decorated grounds and gardens. 

Take in the magical Harewood terrace, walk the lakeside path laced with festive festoon lights, enjoy takeaway food and drink and indulge in some Christmas shopping! 

Edward Appleyard - Director of Engagement Harewood House Trust - 13th August 2020

Celebrating 50 years of the Bird Garden.

Harewood Bird Garden is a home to over 40 species of birds from around the world. Visit, and you will see the critically endangered Bali starling, charismatic and colourful parrots, as well as our popular colony of Humboldt penguins.

Learn about the birds that we care for, explore their characteristics, their conservation status and what makes them unique. See one of the worlds’ largest owl species or listen to our flock of Zebra finches. It’s a wonderful place to discover with your own brood!

Celebrating 50 years of the Bird Garden.

Harewood Bird Garden is a home to over 40 species of birds from around the world. Visit, and you will see the critically endangered Bali starling, charismatic and colourful parrots, as well as our popular colony of Humboldt penguins.

Learn about the birds that we care for, explore their characteristics, their conservation status and what makes them unique. See one of the worlds’ largest owl species or listen to our flock of Zebra finches. It’s a wonderful place to discover with your own brood!

Celebrating 50 years of the Bird Garden.

Harewood Bird Garden is a home to over 40 species of birds from around the world. Visit, and you will see the critically endangered Bali starling, charismatic and colourful parrots, as well as our popular colony of Humboldt penguins.

Learn about the birds that we care for, explore their characteristics, their conservation status and what makes them unique. See one of the worlds’ largest owl species or listen to our flock of Zebra finches. It’s a wonderful place to discover with your own brood!

Celebrating 50 years of the Bird Garden - Rare Bird.

Harewood Bird Garden is a home to over 40 species of birds from around the world. Visit, and you will see the critically endangered Bali starling, charismatic and colourful parrots, as well as our popular colony of Humboldt penguins.

Learn about the birds that we care for, explore their characteristics, their conservation status and what makes them unique. See one of the worlds’ largest owl species or listen to our flock of Zebra finches. It’s a wonderful place to discover with your own brood!

Celebrating 50 years of the Bird Garden - Harewood's Significant Collections.

Harewood Bird Garden is a home to over 40 species of birds from around the world. Visit, and you will see the critically endangered Bali starling, charismatic and colourful parrots, as well as our popular colony of Humboldt penguins.

Learn about the birds that we care for, explore their characteristics, their conservation status and what makes them unique. See one of the worlds’ largest owl species or listen to our flock of Zebra finches. It’s a wonderful place to discover with your own brood!

Christmas at Harewood - A Night at the Mansion.

It’s ‘after hours’, the doors are closed and it’s the moment when Harewood House really comes alive.

The statues are singing, the paintings are gossiping and there’s hustle and bustle both above and below stairs, with the anticipation of an important guest in the run up to a truly festive Christmas.

Created by acclaimed British artistic duo Davy & Kristin McGuire, from Studio McGuire, open the doors, look under the stairs, listen out for chatter and gossip and follow the music as Yorkshire’s most exciting country house presents its interpretation of Christmas.

With workshops, festive-themed music, events, market weekends, cooking demonstrations and, of course, an opportunity to meet with Father & Mrs Christmas, there’s much to explore this festive season at Harewood.