Highclere Castle is a country house in the Jacobethan style by the architect Charles Barry, with a park designed by Capability Brown. The 5,000-acre estate is in Hampshire, England, about 5 miles south of Newbury, Berkshire. It is the country seat of the Earl of Carnarvon, a branch of the Anglo-Welsh Herbert family and the film location of the famous Downton Abbey.
Where is Highclere Castle located?
The 5,000-acre estate is in Hampshire, England, about 5 miles south of Newbury, Berkshire.
What is the history of Highclere Castle to the present day?
The first written records of the estate date back to 749 when an Anglo-Saxon King granted the estate to the Bishops of Winchester. Bishop William of Wykeham built a beautiful medieval palace and gardens on the park. Later on, the palace was rebuilt as Highclere Place House in 1679 when it was purchased by Sir Robert Sawyer, Attorney General to Charles II and James II and direct grandfather of the current Earl.
What is there to see and do at Highclere Castle?
It has been a number of years now since the last television series of the Downton Abbey was broadcast, capturing more than 180 million viewers. Take a visit to Highclere Castle and relive every scene: glide down the great oak staircase like Lady Mary did on her wedding day, sit down at the Château of Jackdaws where Lady Edith found herself so often and take in the state dining room where many of the Dowager Countess' wonderfully acerbic lines were delivered by Dame Maggie Smith. In order to commemorate the successes of Earl 5th the 8th Earl and Countess have now opened a new Egyptian Exhibition in the cellars of the castle for visitors to take a look around.
