Alternatively, with its Gothic turrets and tower, it could
masquerade as a grand church. The building actually stands on the site of a medieval Bishop’s palace, once inhabited by monks. Some ecclesiastical aspects survive, such as the south-east walled Monks’ Garden, the pillared Entrance Hall and the Saloon with vaulted roof and minstrel gallery. The main staircase is red carpeted and lavish, as are all the chambers, and priceless artefacts adorn every corner. The late 18th and early 19th centuries saw Highclere
remodelled as a Neoclassical Georgian mansion but no one effected a transformation as radical as Sir Barry, during the reign of the young Queen Victoria. His new and dramatic Highclere Castle, rising against the towering backdrop of Siddon Hill, dominated the rural, political and social scene. That impact endured through the dramas of the next centuries. In 1922 the 5th Earl, with his colleague, Howard Carter, discovered the Tomb of the Boy Pharaoh, Tutankhamun, in the Valley of the Kings, in Egypt – a discovery commem- orated by an exhibition in the Castle cellars. In World War I the Castle served as a hospital; in World War II it became a home for evacuees. If Highclere’s dense walls or capacious cupboards had ears, they might harbour any number of scandals or skeletons – alarmingly parallel, perhaps, to the threads of Mr Fellowes’ plots. Highclere is currently occupied by the 8th Earl (George Reginald Oliver Molyneux Herbert) and his family, who
www.britain-magazine.com
If Highclere’s dense walls had ears, they might harbour any number of scandals or skeletons – alarmingly parallel, perhaps, to the threads of Mr Fellowes’ plots
Top right: Maggie Smith, in a scene-stealing performance as the formidable Dowager Countess. Above: Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern as the Earl and Countess of Grantham
welcomed the cast and crew of Downton into their home for several months. His lordship has his own theory as to why their estate was chosen. “Geography! Near London, a large building (but not too
large) isolated enough to avoid entanglement with neigh- bouring properties, Highclere has it all in terms of the Victorian and Edwardian periods – the State, Dining and Drawing rooms, the Smoking room (full of old masters), the vaulted Saloon with atrium, the glorious Library, bedrooms, little serveries with different approaches and corridors – all perfect, and offering the kind of character that render it integral to the Downton stories. “The grounds were ideal for exteriors, with everything
from rural cottages to a park for hunting scenes and gardens for an outdoor party scene in the last episode. Two crews could shoot simultaneously here. The only rooms we
BRITAIN 39
PHOTO: HIGHCLERE CASTLE 2010/NBCU INTERNATIONAL, CARNIVAL
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