We were in north Hampshire. Not Yorkshire.
And the Crawleys and Mrs Patmore were nowhere to be seen and nobody was dressed like Hugh Bonneville or Dr Clarkson. Former Army batmen, footmen, maids, Shrimpies and dowagers were conspicuous by their absence.
The queue at the admissions ticket booth was more downstairs than upstairs.
And very cosmopolitan. People had come a long way to look inside.
There were no chic felt buckets, silk shawls, gem necklaces, T-strap dance shoes, velvet gowns, dickies, flapper cloches or Edwardian-era eveningwear.
No one was an obvious nominee for the Outstanding Hairstyling category.
No one had come in harem pants.
The cameras, catering trucks, dollies, grips and gaffers, make-up and cast had all gone. Leaving the lop pigs and flock of breeding ewes. And horsefeed business.
The fans had come to see the main character of Downtown Abbey, Highclere Castle. With its famous turrets and Capability Brown grounds.
And to say : “It looks just like it does on TV and in the cinema”
Open Days at Highclere. sixty miles west of London, are as popular as ever ten years after the final episode of the sixth Julian Fellowes hit TV series and in the lead-up to the September release of the third film in a franchise which brought such memorable lines as :
“What’s a weekend?”
“Hope is a tease designed to prevent us from accepting reality!”
“One should always travel with optimism.”
“Never complain. Never explain”
“All smart people sleep in separate rooms.”
As they waited to be let in, the Abbeyolics and Downton anoraks swapped favourite quotes and costumes ( none are on display at Highclere ) and stories of how their addiction has taken to them to locations like Inverary Castle ( Duneagle Castle in the 2012 Christmas episode), Bampton in the Cotswolds ( Downtown village with Church View used as The Grantham Arms and the Dog & Duck and old grammar school (Downtown Hospital), Byfleet Manor in Surrey (Dowager Countess Violet Crawley’s manor house. Tea is served in the Downton Room), Lincoln Castle (York Prison), Trench Farm, Akenham , Suffolk (where the WWI scenes were filmed), Wrotham Park, Barnet ( the interior of Buckingham Palace) and Harewood House, Princess Mary, daughter of King George V and Queen Mary’s country home.
Some were planning a special trip to Rotherham.
To visit Wentworth Woodhouse, where the grand ball and final sequence of the new “Downton Abbey” film was shot.
Highclere is a Grade I listed country house, built in 1679 but renovated in the 1840s to designs by Sir Charles Barry who, with Augustus Pugin, designed London‘s Houses of Parliament. As well as the titular home of the Crawley family, it is the country seat of the Earls of Carnarvon. The 5th Earl, Lord Carnarvon sponsored archaeologist Howard Carter, and stood alongside him in 1922 as he opened the tomb of Tutankhamun. There is an exhibition in the cellars.
But Downton is the draw and the Crawleys the pull.
The 300-room castle is estimated to receive around 90,000 to 100,000 paying visitors per year. It has attracted 1000 visitors in one day. It has been the home of the Carnarvon family since 1842. The estate was opened to visitors for the first time in 1954. But it wasn’t until 1988 that the castle began regular public openings under the stewardship of Jean Herbert, Countess of Carnarvon, ( Earl Carnarvon’s mother).
“My favourite room is The Smoking Room, “ he says. “ With its Jan Weenix paintings, wonderful studio of Venetian Canalettos and above all, the Petro Dura marble side table with exotic bird carvings. There’s a wonderful view of Siddown Hill to the south and Heaven’s Gate folly arch at the top of the hill. As a small boy, I loved the room as it was my grandfather’s day room where he had his TV and watched the racing!
“The chimney only partially worked so it was a smoking room in all senses. We redecorated it in 1988. It has a small version of the vast Cube Room at Wilton House’s painting of Charels 1 and is family by Van Dyke.”
Old Etonian George *Geordie” Reginald Oliver Molyneux Herbert, now 69, is the godson of the late Queen Elizabeth 11 and was a Page of Honour. His father was her racing manager.
Adds his wife, graduate of St Andrews University, Fiona, the 8th Countess of Carnarvon ; “ We loved the arrival with the classic cars and the family sweeping into the grand-ceilinged saloon and the scenes featuring the great stairs down which the ladies made their entrances. The crew used to arrive at 615 am every day and work into the night. We got to know them very well and the Downton Abbey family became part of the Highclere family. We lived in throughout the filming. The kitchen and bedroom scenes were shot in a studio.
“It’s been quite a journey since the first days of filming in 2019and now when our home is known to millions around the world. There are so many stories. Such as when one crew member used a valuable table as an ironing board and a scaffolding pole nearly hit a Van Dyck on the first day!”
A Year at Highclere: Secrets and Stories from the Real Downton Abbey , the Countess of Carnarvon’s latest book, published by Penguin, is out on 4 September. Downton Abbey: the Grand Finale is set to be released on 12 September.
The Earl’s favourite character is Carson ( played by Jim Carter). “He is quite like my grandfather’s butler, Robert Taylor. A tall. authoritative figure very much of the old school, whom I remember with great fondness growing up here. He always laid the dining-room table to perfection and decanted wine at the correct temperature. So, he would have been fully attuned to Mr Carson. My grandfather’s cook, Ivy Rogers, would have been happy working alongside Mrs Patmore and would have understood all her recipes!”
Along with Egyptian vases and planters, King Tut kitchen aprons and tea towels, Highclere Gin, Highclere cigars, The Orangery Hand Cream, cupcake plates, trays, Cheddar cheese bites, butter shortbread, fudge, jam, chutney, dressing gowns, one of the more unusual takeaways from Highclere is a Lamb Box, along with recipes courtesy of the modern chatelaine and current materfamilias.
Highclere is high maintenance. “We have to find ways to cut our cloth!” says the Countess, who worked as an auditor for Coopers Lybrand. “That I am qualified chartered accountant is of constant amusement to my husband!”
Continues the Earl : “The Dowager’s summer tea scenes in our Secret Garden are reminiscent of high summer at Highclere. They are also poignant as Dame Maggie Smith (Lady Sybil) first appeared here filming a version of “The Secret Garden” for US TV in 1988.
“I also love the fox hunting scene shot in the park front of the house in the first series as well as the famous scene in the Dining room with the King and Spratt, played by Jeremy Swift. Downton is a beloved world of modern storytelling blended with real heritage, a world apart. Guests arrive with friends or family or sometimes on their own and there is a palpable excitement to their visit. It is a privilege to be part of it and to see their faces and to share their enthusiasm.
Self-catering accommodation at the 5000-acre estate is available at the 1793 London Lodge and 1865 Grotto House. Nearby are The Carnarvon Arms, The Jack Russell Inn and The Vineyard Hotel.
“ Just like Downton, Highclere is a word apart and a time out,” says the Countess.
“I still find it fascinating, turning short-typed lines on a small piece of white thumbed paper into three-dimensional characters with energy and lives shared on screens large and small. We have so many happy memories. And only one small regret.
“ From the second series onwards, the Earl of Gratham’s (Hugh Bonneville’s) pet labrador, Isis, was played by Ellie. Regrettably, the first dog, Pharoah played by Roly, didn’t get on with our dogs at Highclere!”
https://highclerecastleshop.co.uk/categories/summer-public-opening-2025
https://www.the-vineyard.co.uk/
https://www.thejackrussellinn.com/
https://www.thecarnarvonarmshotel.com/hotel-rooms
www.originaltravel.co.uk offers an 8-day Downtown Abbey UK locations tour
His Lordship’s favourite cocktail is A HANKY PANKY!
THE HANKY PANKY
1 ½ OZ. OF HIGHCLERE CASTLE GIN
1 ½ OZ. OF SWEET VERMOUTH
2 DASHES OF FERNET-BRANCA
GARNISH WITH AN ORANGE TWIST
Add the gin, sweet vermouth and fernet-branca into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled. strain into a chilled coupe glass. garnish with an orange twist.