Highclere Castle

We visited Highclere Castle home of the TV show Downton Abbey.  This was one of the highlights of my trip and I was really looking forward to it.

When we got there the clouds made for some dramatic pictures.

Highclere Castle is owned by the Lord Carnarvon and has been for many generations.  The current Lady has quite the business mind.  She set up an Egyptian exhibit in the basement and opened the house up to tours, weddings and a TV show.  While the pictures don't show it I'm guessing that there were a thousand people who visited that day.

We were not allowed to take pictures in the house but I assure you it was Downton Abbey inside and out.  We got to see the bedrooms where they all sleep including the room where Mr. Pamuk stayed.  I loved seeing the dining room with the huge painting of Charles the first.  I really wanted to take a picture but there were people standing around watching the tourists.

There is a wildflower meadow behind the castle.  Through the meadow and down the hill was the gardens.

The English really know how to do gardens!

The girls in the Secret Garden.

The girls found a hidden area behind these bushes and had a lot of fun making it a "den".

If you watch the show you will recognize this angle as where Hugh Bonniville walks with the dog in the beginning of each show.

One thing the show doesn't really show is how the place is a bit run down.  The floors really need to be refinished as does all of the woodwork.  Some of the tapestries are ratty and need to be replaced.  The show doesn't let you hear how creaky the floors are.  On TV the place seems so much bigger inside but it's really not much.  Maybe by our standards but by English castle or manor house this place was small.

There were several follies around the grounds. It's called a folly due to the fact that is for decoration and has no practical use.

A previous Lord Carnarvon was one of the two guys who discovered King Tut's tomb.  In the basement is and exhibit showing the discovery and many artifacts.  Three thousand year old egyptian artifacts!  It doesn't get much older than that!

All in all the estate is a thousand acres and beautiful acres at that.  I could live here!  A small cottage on the grounds would be heaven.