Highclere
Castle (Downton Abby), England Great Britain
(5/29/2016)
As a huge
fan of Downton Abby, a visit to the stately Highclere Castle, where
the show was filmed, was an absolute must for Pat and an enjoyable excursion
for the both of us.
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| Visiting Highclere Castle |
Highclere Castle is the home of the 8th
Earl and Countess of Carnarvon, a family home that dates back 300 years. It was
designed in 1842 by the same architect of London’s Houses of Parliament.
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| Impressive Saloon (Main Room) - Highclere Castle |
Highclere
Castle provides a self-guided tour with very knowledgeable guides in every room
that are friendly and will answer all your questions. You can take your time
while you go through the rooms upstairs and downstairs. If you are interested
in Egyptian history, there is an Egyptian
Exhibition you can visit for an extra fee. Interestedly, the Carnarvon
family was involved in early Egyptian discoveries.
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| Secret Garden - Highclere Castle |
At the
beginning of the Highclere Castle tour, you will be impressed with the
beautiful Library and its collection of over 5,650 books. Then you will see the
Music Room with its 16th-century Italian silk embroideries over the
walls, the Drawing Room, the Saloon with its impressive 50-feet high ceiling (see photo),
and Dining Room. You can peer into the upstairs bedrooms along the way.
Enlarged photos of scenes of Downton Abby are displayed in each room.
The weather
was fabulous for our visit and we walked the beautiful grounds – don’t miss
Highclere’s Secret Garden (see photo).
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| Wayne was Carson (The Butler) - Having Afternoon Tea at Highclere Castle |
You can
book the tea service but don’t be disappointed if it is booked out. Without
reservations, we had a wonderful afternoon
tea and lunch at the outdoor café of one of the three Tea Rooms (see photo). Indoor
seating is also available if the weather is too cold or rainy. The café is
located right outside when you finish your tour of Highclere Castle. I acted as
Carson, the butler, and served My Lady Pat tea and champaign. She felt like
royalty!
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| Pat with Lady Carnarvon - Owner Highclere Castle |
We had a
very special treat to meet and talk to the very personal Lady Carnarvon, the current owner of Highclare Castle (see photo). She has a
goal to preserve this wonderful estate and works steadily to provide the
direction and financing necessary. Downton Abby scoop: Lady Carnarvon
hinted to us that a couple of movies are planned for the future at the
Highclare Castle.
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| Pat Entering Highclere Castle |
Getting there: Highclere Castle can be visited
from 10AM to 4PM with the grounds and garden closing at 5PM. It is located
about 45 miles west from central London. There is plenty of parking if you
drive. You can also get there from London’s Paddington train station that can
be accessed by taxi or subway (tube). The Newbury train station is the closest
and taxis are available to drive you the rest of the way. If you leave
Highclere Castle early enough, there is usually a drop-off taxi available to
take you back to the train station but you should take a card so you can call
for a pick up.
Important driving tip: Because many of the roads in
England are smaller country roads with many confusing roundabouts, getting lost
is not hard. In fact, it can be fun if you can get back on track.
Here is a wonderful tip... Make sure you have GPS - if from the rental car company ask for a lesson. The postal code in
Great Britain typically has enough information to direct you to your hotel or
destination. So, look up postal codes for your hotels and destinations so you
can enter them in as you go through your day of explorations. We used a
centrally located church or hotel for the villages. Sometimes the GPS asks to
confirm the street name and number, so also having an address helps. Also,
often just putting in the town/village name will take you to the right
direction and you can follow signs to the town center.Please see our other 12 travel blog posts on Great Britain:
York, England
Beautiful COTWOLDS Bilbury Burton Stow Slaugher Woodstock Burford Minster Lovell Oxford England
Lake District (England's Most Visited National Park)
Stonehenge, England
Stratford-Upon-Avon, England (Birthplace of Shakespere)
England's Southern Coast Canterbury Rye Sandwich Salisbury, England
Hadrian's Wall, England
Beamish Museum, England
Chester, England
Magnificent Castle Howard, England
Alnwick Castle (Harry Potter), England
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