The Real Downton Abbey
Highclere Castle - Four Things About the Real Downton Abbey You Might Not Know
The British drama Downton Abbey continues to be popular with fans around the world. This month, the long-awaited film, Downton Abbey, A New Era is opening with great anticipation at theaters around the world. The series takes place in a grand estate and follows the lives of the aristocratic Grantham and Crawley families along with their staff that serves them.
Tea And Touring
As a fan of the Downton Abbey series, on my most recent guided tour to England, I decided to make the pilgrimage to Highclere Castle where the series is filmed. I couldn’t wait to walk in the footsteps of the Granthams and the Crawleys for a little while. Remarkably, the castle looks exactly the same in real life as it does on TV and on the big screen. It is such a funny - and, wonderful sensation to feel immediately familiar with a place that you have never been to because of the magic of this popular series. It was such a treat to walk through beautifully appointed rooms that are shared by the real family, the Carnarvon’s, and the fictional families, the Crowleys and Granthams. The staircase is grand, the library is amazing with its coffered ceilings, the music room is opulent with
richly colored tapestries, and the dining room is memorable. When I saw the red couches in the saloon room, the heart of the house in my mind, I imagined Mary, Cora, and Edith sitting there sipping tea. The only regret is that photos inside the house are not allowed.
Speaking of tea, after exploring the house, I treated myself to the time-honored tradition of having tea in the afternoon in the Castle’s Coach House. I was served fancy finger sandwiches of egg salad and cress, chicken salad, salmon and creme cheese, baked goods including Victoria sponge and cream cake, and, of course, my favorite, scones, served with homemade jam and clotted cream. In addition to English Breakfast or Earl Grey tea, and coffee, there was a choice between Elderflower water or champagne…needless to say, I went for the bubbly!
Meet the Carnarvon’s!
Having tea gave me time to reflect on all the “secrets” I learned about “the real Downton Abbey.” Some of these juicy tidbits parallel the drama and intrigue in a way that is worthy of Downton Abbey’s plot lines!
Highclere Architecture
The first thing I learned is that Highclere Castle is the family home of the 8th Earl and Countess of Carnarvon. The Carnarvon family has lived at Highclere since 1679, which has been renovated several times over the years. Today’s iconic castle was designed in the Jacobethan style in 1842 by the 3rd Earl who commissioned Sir Charles Barry, who also designed the Houses of Parliament, to redesign it.
Fiction Mirrors Reality
Downton Abbey is said to be inspired by the experiences of its creator, Julian Fellowes, who grew up in aristocratic circles of the upper class. His father was a diplomat and his mother was a society debutante. In 2011, he was appointed by David Cameron to the House of Lords, becoming a Baron. Today he lives in a manor house, called Stafford House located in Dorset, England which dates to 1633 and 1840.
Plotline Parallels
One of the more interesting aspects of Highclere’s history has to do with Almina, an illegitimate child of Alfred de Rothchild, one of the wealthiest men in the world. Almina become the 5th Countess of Carnarvon when she married the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, George, of King Tut fame, who at the time like Lord Grantham married Cora because he needed cash. Like Cora, the influx of cash from Almina’s large dowry helped to improve and refurbish Highclere Castle and bankroll George’s Egyptian expeditions.
Another way Highclere parallels Downton Abbey is that at the outbreak of World War I, Almina not only became a nurse but also converted Highclere into a military hospital that cared for those wounded at the front.
The Egyptian Connection
One of the most interesting facts about Highclere Castle is its connection to Egypt and the world-famous discovery of King Tutankhamun. George Carnarvon, the 5th Earl sponsored Howard Carter, the Egyptologist that discovered King Tut’s tomb in 1922. Legend has it that the Earl died mysteriously six months after the tomb was discovered and the myth of the curse of the mummy was born! In reality, Lord Carnarvon was not in good health which is what brought him to the warm and sunny climate of Egypt in the first place. What actually happened is that Lord Carnarvon cut open a mosquito bite while shaving and infection set in. In poor health, the infection evolved into blood poisoning and, eventually, pneumonia. Lord Carnarvon died in Egypt in 1923 at 53. Legend has it that the lights went out in Cairo when he died and that his dog dropped dead - further fueling mummy mania!
The Egyptian Collection
Another thing I learned during my visit to Highclere is that the kitchen is modern and is located downstairs and off-limits to tour groups! What is downstairs however is Highclere’s Egyptian collection. It gave me pause to think that this is the house where Howard Carter, Lord Carnarvon, and his daughter, Evelyn, plotted where they would dig next in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. The Egyptian collection is not large but it is part of this family’s legacy making it special.
Whether or not you are a fan of Downton Abbey, a visit to Highclere Castle is a wonderful experience because it gives visitors the chance to tour one of the most magnificent country estates in England where generations of the same family have resided for almost 400 years.