Highclere Castle—The Real-Life Downton Abbey
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| Highclere Castle Image from Pixabay |
It has a rich history
On the site of Highclere Castle once stood the medieval
palace of the Bishops of Winchester, who took control of the land from 749
until the next 800 years. In 1551, however, King Edward VI seized the property
from the church during the course of the Protestant Reformation.
The estate was purchased by politician, later
attorney-general, Sir Robert Sawyerin 1659, who, together with his descendants,
made significant alterations to the property. Since then, Highclere became the
official residence of the Earls of Carnarvon and their ancestors.
It was the 3rd Earl of Carnarvon who made the most
noticeable changes to the Highclere Castle, which was merely a square,
classical mansion at the time. He sought the help of architect Charles Barry,
who remodeled the castle in the Jacobethan Style-- blend of English
Renaissance, Jacobean, and Elizabethan elements—with touches of Italianate
architecture.
Charles Barry proposed an alternative design that was in
pure Italian Renaissance style; it was, however, rejected by Lord Carnarvon.
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| Guests on the grounds of Highclere Castle. Image from Flickr |
Canada was conceived
at Highclere Castle
Did you know that it was in Highclere Castle where Canada
was conceived? It was in here where the 4th Earl of Carnarvon, alongside first
Prime Minister of Canada John A. Macdonald, Alexander Tilloch Galt, and
George-Étienne Cartier, drafted the British North America Act of 1867, which
led to the foundation of the nation of Canada. In recognition of the role of
the 4th Earl of Carnarvon to the establishment of Canada following the
discovery of lost correspondence between the earl and Macdonald, a maple tree
was planted on the castle’s lawn on January 11, 2018.
Highclere is home to
many Egyptian Artifacts
Highclere Castle also became home to a number of Egyptian
artifacts as the 5th Earl of Carnarvon was an amateur but highly enthusiastic
Egyptologist himself. He was with famous British archaeologist Howard Carter
when the latter unearthed Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922. The castle’s Egyptian
Exhibits display antiquities from the 5th earl’s collection.
The castle was opened
during the two world wars
During World War I, the castle served as a convalescent home
for casualties while during World War II it was opened to evacuee children.
Allied aircraft, including a B-17 Flying Fortress also crashed on the castle
grounds. These debris are now in the possession of Highclere.
The Castle has more rooms than you can occupy and sits on a
ground too extensive to explore in one day!
Highclere Castle has more than 200 rooms and sits on over a
thousand acres—and that’s too much a day is not enough to explore the place.
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| An imposing view of Highclere Castle. Image from Flickr |
It achieved worldwide fame as the setting of Downton Abbey
Highclere Castle later opened its doors to paying visitors
and the grand rooms and gardens were later hired out for several television and
film productions, including Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut (1999). Highclere Castle eventually achieved greater
fame when it was used as the main filming location of award-winning historical
period drama Downtown Abbey, which
aired from 2010-2015.
Highclere Castle, Egyptian exhibition and gardens are open
to the public during the summer months and at other times during the rest of
the year. Special ticketed events are also held throughout the year. For more
details visit Highclere Castle’s website. The office phone
number is 01635 253210, the 24-hour information line is 01635 253204 and the e-mail is
theoffice@highclerecastle.co.uk.
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