Highclere Castle - The Real Life Downton Abbey

Highclere Castle

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to live in a real castle, even better how about one that a popular television show uses for its main filming. For die-hard fans of  "Downton Abbey" no doubt you already know that Highclere Castle is the location for the shows filming, however aside from its current fame there is an interesting history behind this beautiful landmark.

My son-in-law Justin is an avid history buff as am I, so when he told me about the PBS documentaries he had been watching on castles in England of course I had to check them out for myself. Looking them up on Netflix I found one on Highclere, so of course not only being a fan of the show but also loving English history it was an absolute must to watch.

The castle as you see it today is in the Jacobethan style (the mixed national Renaissance revival style that was made popular in England from the late 1820s) however it didn't start out that way. Originally the house was an old brick and freestone structure, basically it looked like a box that was transformed in 1838 by the 3rd Earl of Carnarvon into what you see today.

Highclere Castle

It was a time of energy and change. The young Queen Victoria had just come to the throne, and the whole decade witnessed innovation in politics and cultural life.The structural work on the interior of the Castle was finally completed in 1878. Once built, the Castle became a center of political life during the late Victorian era.

A bit of interesting information I discovered while doing research for this post (anyone who is an avid fan of the show will recognize this story line) is that during the first world war Lady Almina (wife of the 5th Earl) did in fact turn the castle into a hospital/convalescent home for injured solders returning from the war.

Highclere Castle - Hospital/Convalescent Home During World War 1

Another bit of history that I did not know (maybe you did) was that George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon along with Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun in The Valley Of Kings in 1922. 

On April 5th 1923 Lord Carnarvon died while staying at the Continental-Savoy Hotel in Cairo which led to the story of the "Curse of Tutankhamun" - "The Mummy's Curse".  This refers to an alleged curse believed by some to be cast upon any person who disturbs the mummy of an Ancient Egyptian Person, especially a pharaoh. 

In actuality he is believed to have died from blood poisoning due to shaving an infected mosquito bite, which progressed into pneumonia. After the Earls death his son, who then became the 6th Earl, returned to Highclere where he lived until 1986. During the Second World War, the Castle briefly became a home for evacuee children from north London.

Today this beautiful castle is home to George Herbert the 8th Earl of Carnarvon and Lady Carnarvon - Formal Title:  The Earl & Countess of Carnarvon - who in 2012 were finally able to begin much needed renovations to the over 300yr old home. 

I'd like to end with some photographs which if you're a fan of Downton Abbey you will surely recognize, keeping in mind the rooms you see on the show are exactly as they have appeared for many years.