Our Day at Downton...

Thanks to some very lucky timing, we managed to secure some tickets to tour Highclere Castle (aka. Downton Abbey).  Unbeknownst to us, you actually need to start trying to book tickets in February to have a solid chance of a summer visit.  For some reason, on the day we inquired, they had just released some tickets for a special private viewing because of an unexpected break in filming.  The afternoon session was already sold out but there were a few tickets left for the morning session.  Without a second thought, we booked them!

Highclere Castle is just as beautiful in person as it appears on the television show.  The grounds are enormous - it takes a good five minutes to drive through the grounds to actually reach the castle - and beautifully manicured.  En route, sheep are grazing and basking in the sunlight.

The front doors to the castle are imposing, sturdy and ornately carved.  And when the doors opened and we stepped inside the entrance way, it almost felt like we had gone back in time and had arrived to visit the Crowley family for a spot of tea.

The show uses most of the home's regular furnishings, with the exception of replacing the flowers with bouquets more reflective of the earlier era.  Although the rooms feel a bit smaller than they seem on the television, the home feels so similar to the show that we felt almost like we were walking right onto the set.

These old British castles are fascinating - they are so large and so regal but over time have become unsustainable.  Highclere Castle, for example, spends a million pounds each year for staff and maintenance and, even with the added financial benefits of a successful television show behind it, doesn't have enough money to make needed repairs on the third floor and grounds.    They are not alone. It is amazing that so many of them had to rely on marriages with American women to secure the necessary funding to keep these estates up and running.  Just like in the tv show!

As we wandered the floors and saw the old photographs and newspaper clippings on the walls,  it is clear that Downton Abbey has taken much inspiration for its storylines from the real Highclere Castle, which made everything feel very familiar and almost personal as we wandered the incredible grounds.  A stately day, indeed!