I visited Highclere Castle (where they filmed Downton Abbey) this is what I thought of the place
Dear Readers, This summer, I had the opportunity to visit Highclere Castle, famed for Downton Abbey. In this article, I reflect on the experience looking back on another day at a country residence.
Excusez-moi for my several month hiatus, here we are at the end of a cooler September looking back on the unseasonably chilly summer we have had here in the UK. Today’s nattering is, as the title is suggestive, of my visit to Highclere Castle, near Newbury, Berkshire. I also present an accompanying piano recording of my own take on the Downton Abbey theme, so bring your large whiskey and soda or brandy, or if preferred a tea of your choosing and lets escape to this country house together.
Downton Abbey Theme - Played and recorded by Yours Truly.
Downton Abbey has had many a mention on the Period Drama Journal and the house, Highclere, is my latest country house escapade. This grand country house has not only been the filming location for Downton Abbey, but also for Jeeves and Wooster where it played the country home of Sir Watykin Bassett AKA Totleigh Towers.
We started the day nice and early, in order to make the most of our time, and to ensure that we wouldn’t have to queue too long to enter the house. Overall, the weather was charming and it meant full exporation of the grounds. So, as we were guided to a spot, in an orderly fashion to park, the house in its splendor was in full view. I make the note to point out that the house was in fact not open yet at the time that we had arrived, and yet, there were already some people walking around and parked up ready to enter. That was the first indication to the place’s popularity, though the lack of ticket availability for house entrance on certain days, perhaps foretold of this popularity.
Luckily, we had early entry to the house, and were able to explore it soon after arrival. Unfortunately, photographs were not permitted within the house, as stated on their website, so many of the interesting portraits and tapestries they had on display couldn’t be photographed as a memory. It was a great shame we were unable to take photographs of these items as describing them does not do it justice. The rigidity with which they enforce this rule is strict, as in every room and even in the hallway, there is a member of staff to ensure no photographs are taken.
However, having said that, the route that you travel in the house is certainly logical and in a way purposely designed to immerse you in the country house or have you imagine you are in Downton Abbey. The famous staircase in the centre of the house where many a grand person has graced, was en-route and we were able to walk down those very stairs that Lady Mary does on the day her wedding day.
An appropriate touch was the quotes from the Downton Abbey series on posters scattered around the house. This included some of their favourite quotes, and predictably, many of The Dowager Countess’ lines were on show. Even in the gift shop and coach house, there were plenty of Downton Abbey pictures. Other stand out areas of our tour around the castle was walking on the gallery where I was reminded of that scene where Bertie Wooster is being chased by Spode who was half dressed ready to inflict his mindless violence on Bertie. As they turn the corner, he is not decent enough to face a shocked, stern faced Mrs Gregson (Aunt Agatha) in Jeeves and Wooster.
Another highlight was going into the lower ground floor/basement and viewing the Egyptian replicas from the Tomb of the boy Egyptian Pharaoh: Tutankhamun. There were plenty of information posters (in museum style) that told visitors the significance of the tomb’s excavation for Highclere and it’s connection to the Carnarvon family which was interesting to know some context into this. This part of the house required a different type of ticket for entry though - the details found on their website.
From the outset, it was clear to us that the family still lived there, as there was still the lived in feel to the place, though I got the impression that there were items left out by design to garner the visitor’s interest and attention. In particular, every single room featured many photographs or portraits of the family. As a published author, Lady Carnarvon’s books were also on constant display - perhaps as encouragement for the visitor to purchase in their shop. This consistent bombardment of certain objects made it seem like a house on display for ‘visitors’ rather than a house to impress as a country house (as was in their ‘hay day’) is supposed to be and is usually the way that these houses are presented. Continuing on the vein of books, this was a constant theme as well. With any opportunity to place books, there they were on a table or window sill - perhaps they were implying to the visitors that they should read more?
It took quite a while to walk through the entire house, as you are able to pause at your own leisure and speed. For that reason, certain rooms were busier than others due to it holding more interest. The entry and flow of visitors was limited, but due to the cramped spaces that would sometimes occur - for example on one occasion only a few people could fit in a space to view a room, this had stopped the flow of visitors to continue along if they had no interest to view a certain room. This would be the case for the upper floor where some bedrooms had very limited access/walking space.
Then it was onto the grounds. My overall verdict would be to say that they are not particularly extensive or impressive. In comparison to other country houses such as Chatsworth, the grounds are not massive. Nevertheless, they are equally as beautiful with garden monuments such as the Etruscan temple and Jackdaws Castle. Complete with springy grass on the lawn, there is a secret garden, rose arbour, and landmarks where Downton Abbey characters supposedly had sat in the garden namely Lady Mary and the Dowager Countess.
It was very evident by the number of staff that I spotted throughout the visit, that the place was very well maintained. There was a lady mowing the lawn and several that were busying about the house. The abundance of flowers were impressive too. As there were many different types - including a Dalphinian which I am told is very difficult to grow.
Lunch was next on our agenda after getting those Instagramable shots of the house. It took us most of the morning to look around the house and the exhibition downstairs, so we were unable to look around the gardens until later on.
Lunch was quite a nice affair. Being able to sit on the lawn in the grounds was lovely all the while scoffing a sausage butty. By the look of the sausages served, it seemed as if they were made by the farm or on the estate which was a good sign. The prices of the food was fair for a place like Highclere as well. Originally, we were planning on bringing a picnic, though the ticket stated picnics were not allowed. However, the lunch that we brought at Highclere was just as nice - instead of having something cold as would be the case for a picnic.
Getting there and what you should know when you plan your trip
The house is mainly accessible by car. Due to its remote location, traveling via any other transport other than car may prove a difficulty. There is also the option to get there via coach as there were many visitors who travelled with a larger group of tourists.
From the queue that formed for the house later in the day, the time that we had selected was the best as we didn’t need to wait too long. Assuming that it isn’t high season (school holidays) when you visit, it won’t be too busy. As we had visited during the weekday, and it wasn’t the school holidays yet, we were quite lucky with the crowds. It generally was not too crowded inside so to give time to view all of the objects on display while staring up at the impressive architecture.
There were many options to the ticket as you can go for all three available options of house, gardens and Egyptian exhibition. These can be separate, though as this was the first time visiting and all members of my party were interested in viewing all three mentioned, that was the ticket we purchased.
Final thoughts
Experiencing the splendour of Highclere Castle’s house and grounds was quite high on the list as one of the places to see. It is certainly a popular place - from the number of visitors that were present on that day that we went. The international fame of the house had attracted many a diverse crowd and it is quite amazing how a TV programme shot, filmed and mostly aired in the UK could have such a large international audience. In comparison to other country houses, such as Chawton House which has featured and you can view it here, Highclere is very much high in the visitor’s expectations due to the numerous TV shows. As a fact, the who have watched said TV shows feel as though we have visited before, though seeing everything in person changes one’s perspective on something that is seemingly so familiar.
Allow me to point out that this doesn’t take away the grandeur of the house. However, in real life, we must alter our perception of size. Regardless, the structure is very pleasing to the eye due to it’s symmetry, and the way in which the entire property is looked after makes this an experience that you will not be likely to forget anytime soon.
A common theme of these country houses is the opportunity to ramble somewhat in the countryside. As most of the day was taken up by viewing the house and walking around the gardens, we didn’t have the time to take some hikes further afield on the estate. The weather was also seasonably warm which would have made it difficult to hike in full sun. So, if there happened to be a second trip, when the sun was not so strong, a hike from the house to the temple of Diana or Heaven’s Gate would be perfect. (keep scrolling for a picture taken of the temple of Diana)
Until next time,
Toodleloo!