The Real Downton Abbey: Highclere Castle

When Rick and I first started a couple of years ago to plan our long awaited trip to England, we weren't sure whether we'd include a visit to Highclere Castle, the majestic backdrop for Julian Fellowes's epic drama series, Downton Abbey.

At the time, I was still grumpy at Mr. Fellowes for not letting Mary and Matthew have at least five minutes happiness before creating a nasty accident for Matthew. So, seriously, I wasn't sure I wanted to visit the Grantham family home. However, with the passage of time to dim that memory from my mind, sense prevailed, thankfully, and happy was the day when our final travel arrangements included a whole day to snoop around the Downton Abbey filming sites, including the stately Highclere Castle.

So, what shall I tell you, dear beautiful friends, about our day here? The weather was glorious. The skies were blue and sunny when we arrived. No need to carry rain coats or brollies -- it was a perfect day for walking around the grounds, strolling through the gardens, and admiring the castle from every angle.

I knew we would enjoy our day here, but I really didn't expect to feel the magic. Yet when I came around the corner from the carpark and suddenly found myself standing on this very spot of that oh-so-familiar pathway ... oh my ... I felt the magical zap-tingle inside my stomach.

In that instant, I knew I was happy, happy, happy we came. Even with all the people around, for a brief moment I was in my own little world thinking to myself, Girl, you are here, really here, on the very same path that you see every week when the opening credit scenes roll by with Pharaoh ... or is it Isis ... trotting up the path.

What makes it all so special? I don't know ... I guess we fell in love. I remember early in the series, a dear blogging friend, Vee, once remarked that she'd gotten so connected she almost prayed for Lady Mary during a most dramatic episode. I could relate -- somehow their stories became our stories and now they've entered our cultural consciousness, Lady Violet Grantham's witticisms and all.
 

Seriously, when you get close up you can only stand and gape. The castle really is stunning. And, no doubt, I wasn't the only one imagining Carson coming out to greet us in his Butler-ish, formal manner.

In case you need a little background, Highclere Castle is set in the midst of 1,000 acres of parkland, and is the home of the 8th Earl and Countess of Carnarvon and the seat of the Carnarvon Family for over 300 years; the Carnarvon Family has lived here since 1679.

A magnificent family home, it is often described as 'the finest occupied Victorian mansion in England'. Major rebuilding work was carried out in the 18th and 19th centuries, and in 1838, the 3rd Earl of Carnarvon brought in Sir Charles Barry to transform his home into a stunning mansion.

Photo Source: Palace of Westminster, London / wikimedia.org

Sir Charles Barry was also the architect of the Palace of Westminster--also known as the Houses of Parliament--you might recognize the many similarities that exist between the styles of the two buildings.

Highclere Castle was transformed into a hospital during the First World War, and became a private home again in 1922. Downton fans, you will remember when the Grantham family, too, saw their beloved Downton Abbey being turned into a convalescent home for wounded officers during the same Great War. An example of art imitating life, perhaps?

To this day the current Earl and Countess of Carnarvon live partly in the Castle and partly nearby. They remain closely involved in the Castle's day to day life and future. Lady Carnarvon has authored several fiction and non-fiction books; you can find out more about them here.

You might also be interested to learn the Countess has a blog where she invites readers behind the scenes of her life and home, and shares anecdotes from her everyday life at Highclere. Here is the link: www.ladycarnarvon.com.

 

When Rick and I visited Great Britain last summer, I loved collecting the souvenir guidebooks from the various places we visited. They not only turned out to be a wonderful reference when I started my overwhelming task of organizing my collection of more than two thousand trip photos, but they were chock-full of interesting details that, upon reflection, deepened and enriched our experiences.

Highclere's full colour official souvenir guidebook (left above) is a little treasure. You see, we weren't allowed to take photos inside the castle, and I surely wanted some memento of those divinely gorgeous rooms where so many Downton Abbey scenes took place. I would have loved to show you some of those lovely rooms up close ... not wanting to infringe on copyrights, the next best thing is to suggest a visit to their website where they highlight a few with photos. 

The souvenir guideline is available through their online gift shop (if you are willing to pay the exchange and postage). It's a lovely keepsake whether you've been there in person, or not.

In the midst of all this grandeur, our tour guide reminded us that we should find lunch before taking the house tour. I thought, who wants to eat, but when we saw what they were serving, we realized lunch was a very good idea indeed.

We sat under the shade of an umbrella at a table that overlooked hilly pastures filled with grazing sheep. As we tucked in, I marveled that we really were here enjoying all this English loveliness. How blessed, blessed, blessed I felt as we sipped our tea and drank in the panorama.

With lunch done, we came around to the front of the house, er, castle, and to our chagrin, we found a long line up of people waiting at the front door. Obviously they'd finished their lunch too and were eager to get on with the real business at hand.

But who cared? We were all here to enjoy the same thing. And grace seemed available for us all ... people weren't impatient ... everyone had a chance to be as meandering and slow as they needed to be in order to enjoy the many fascinating details of architecture, art, furnishings, and photographs.

We entered through the grand front door, no servants' backdoor for us. And yes, we saw the stunning gothic entrance hall with its marble columns and vaulted ceiling. We were guided to our left which took us into the Library; it was impressively decorated in dark mahogany, gilded bookcases, and rich red curtains. Its collection boasts over 5,650 books. Oh look, there's Lord Grantham's desk, and those big red couches with the high backs set beside the fireplace. You know what, the cushions actually look comfortable but, no, we mustn't sit down to check them out.

You must remember the Drawing Room where the Downton family often gathered before dinner? The room with those gorgeous green walls and how the ladies seemed to be dressed in complementary outfits to match. A lovely south-facing room, Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon, used green French silk to cover the walls and make curtains; her father gave the silk to her as a gift. Now that is some gift! It was also Almina who turned the Castle into a hospital during the First World War, and from all accounts, she was adored by her patients for the little touches that made their stay a 'haven of rest'.

It was all so beautiful. Going upstairs to peek into the bedrooms that had been used as Lady Cora's and Lady Edith's was a delight. We imagined some of the unforgettable scenes as we walked along the upstairs gallery. And, finally we found ourselves at the top of the stately Oak staircase -- where over the centuries countless ladies in elegant dresses and brides beautiful in lacy gowns must have come down.

And, I was about to do the same thing. Heavy walking shoes on or not, for me, that was another magical moment. I imagined Lady Edith who, in the final episode, walked down to finally meet her happily ever after. And there I was walking that same staircase. In our feminine heart of hearts, we, too, are the elegant ladies and blushing brides gliding down those stairs.       

Now, some people have asked if we got to see the servants' quarters Downstairs. No, we did not. As you may know, all the kitchen and below stairs scenes were shot elsewhere, not at Highclere Castle. Originally the Downstairs would have been the kitchen and servants' hall; in real life, it has now been transformed into a museum for an Egyptian exhibition. The 5th Earl of Carnarvon, with his colleague Howard Carter, discovered in 1922 the Tomb of Tutankhamun, and the Exhibition in the cellars celebrates the Earl's story and achievements. A fascinating tour with so many items on display. Emerging out into the sunlight, I felt like I'd been away in the desert on an archeological dig.

Time for a wee walk through the wild flower meadow. I should first mention the postage stamp photo you saw at the beginning. The stamp was commissioned by the British Royal Mail to celebrate the 18th century landscape architect Lancelot 'Capability' Brown. Much of the sweeping park at Highclere Castle Garden is the result of collaboration between Capability Brown and the 1st Earl of Carnarvon.

My British blogging friend, Tracey, was the one who contacted me one day soon after we arrived home from our trip. She wanted to know if I would like her to mail the new postage stamp to me. Oh yes, please, said I. Now displayed on my desk, it's one of my little treasured treats.   

There's nothing like a good garden map to help a person find what she's looking for; it gives her an idea how everything relates to the other. Once I figure which way is North, I feel 'placed' and can  explore with abandon. Well, not too much abandon, when the tour bus leaves a certain hour, you won't want to be missing it.

Looking in every direction from the Castle, a person gets a sense of the grandeur and the vastness of the land around us. What we saw is just a small bit of that thousand acre park which belongs to Highclere Castle.

 

Walking through the wild flower meadow on the side of a hill

 

Catching sight of the Castle towers

Weren't we excited to find this photo online of Lady Edith--it was probably taken during one of her photo shoots--right there in the middle of the wild flower meadow. How cool is that!

Photo source: vanityfair.com/by Nick Briggs/Carnival Films

There still was so much we didn't get to see, it was time to leave, but what a day, what a day! We caught a glimpse of the Secret Garden but by that time we had to hurry. So I didn't have the chance to take some decent photos of my own. Below is one that I 'borrow' from the website.

Photo source: Secret Garden from Highclere website

One last look. One last photo.
Bye-bye, Downton Abbey ... thanks for all the wonderful memories!

Now here's wishing you glimpses of heaven in unexpected places
and a wonderful weekend ahead,

Hugs,

Brenda

xox