It was Highclere Castle, better known to many people as Downton Abbey! This castle is a 'living' castle, in the sense that people still live and work in it (residents as well as servants), and now it is a home, and also has open days, takes tours, serves afternoon tea, has an exhibition, and of course a gift shop! I have been rewatching the series lately and that really helped me to really feel the moments I have seen while exploring the castle.
Even just arriving was delightful. We came up the long driveway (playing the soundtrack, of course) and around a corner just as Highclere came into view. It was gorgeous and took my breath away! The driveway is long and we parked in the carpark before walking onto the grounds proper and up the crunchy gravel driveway. The approach to the castle is exactly the same as in the show, with the main door standing open as we arrived. The only downside was that you can't take any photos inside the castle...
We went pretty much straight to the door as our tour was starting in only a few minutes! They took our coats on entering to hang them until the tour had ended, but then we were straight into the main hall - and straight away Mum and I were oohing and aahing at the location we recognised from the show! In all the rooms they had used for filming they had stands up showing production photos taken during filming, showing the cast and crew and where they had been. I really appreciated this insight into what rooms were used for which episodes.
Once everyone had arrived into the entrance hall, we were split into 3 groups to start our tour. We went first to the Georgian staircase, where we got a brief history of the castle. There had been a building there for hundreds and hundreds of years, and the house had belonged to Lord Porchester (including the Lord Porchester known as 'Porchy' who was friends with the Queen), before being passed on to the second son, who was Lord Canarvon. Different pieces of the castle belonged to different eras going back as far as Georgian times.
We then headed up the stairs and around the landing at the top. This is where we saw many of the bedrooms that had been used in filming. We saw the Mercia Room, which was used as Lady Grantham's room while filming. We also saw Lady Edith and Lady Sybill's rooms, and the room which they carried the body of poor Mr Pamuk into after he died. It was also used by some of the real life royals who had visited and stayed at Highclere. Unfortunately, the main bedroom used in Downton Abbey, Lady Mary's, was not filmed at the castle. Due to the filming schedule of Joanna Froggatt, who played Anna her lady's maid, that bedroom was on a set in London. The same is true of the kitchens (although given they're still used today that's probably a good thing!).
To get downstairs we descended the main staircase in the house, the one which they always walk down in the show. It was created with the steps at the level where you look like you 'float' down the staircase. I emulated Lady Mary on her wedding day by floating down the stairs to Mum and asking her, 'Will I do?' It was quite lovely.
Downstairs, we went into the drawing room, and the library, which I instantly recognised. Funnily enough, the first thing Mum and I both noticed was that the desk the Lord Grantham uses in the show is actually normally on the other side of the room to the show! That was when we learned that actually, about 80% of the set in the show is just Highclere itself - the paintings, the furniture, the writing desks... that was very interesting. Even the silver was from the castle stores! In the library we were also able to stand where Maggie Smith stood, by using the production photos to find the exact right piece of carpet and stand there too. The other room that was a real thrill to see was the dining room - almost everything was in the exact place and you could just imagine Carson the butler coming through the door with the letters on a silver tray.
After our tour, we were taken down to the Egyptian exhibition. One of the Lord Canarvon's had been on the expedition which had found King Tut's tomb in Egypt in the 1920s, and there is an exhibition about the trip, and showing some of the objects which they had found outside of that specific tomb. While I'm sure it was interesting to others, it was not the main reason Mum and I were here and by this time we were actually quite hungry for the next part, which was afternoon tea!
We were then led out to the out buildings, where afternoon tea awaited us. It was gorgeous, mini sandwiches, quiches, scones, cakes and the most delicious soup (curried vegetables) which I am now determined to recreate! We ate as much as we could, before heading out to the grounds for the golden hour to catch as many photos as we could before we lost the light! We got some gorgeous ones, and I even sat on the bench everyone uses on the grounds to contemplate and think.
The last stop was the gift shop, where we got our goody bags. They included a copy of the At Home at Highclere, written by the Countess herself which was signed. We even met the Countess at the shop and she personalised the books for us as well! I also got a lovely tote bag with a drawing of the castle on it and a beautifully smelling candle as well. Then we were headed back for the drive to Wimbledon, with the soundtrack playing all the way home.
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