Nestled on the Hampshire/Berkshire border is a Grade I listed country house with a familiar exterior. Highclere Castle is synonymous with the period drama Downton Abbey after being chosen as the primary filming location for the series. Highclere Castle is a go-to location for fans of Downton Abbey. Driving up through the 5,000 acre estate will have any visitor feeling like a Crawley, and tours around the house will bring back memories of Sunday nights watching the latest Downton drama unfold. Now world-famous thanks to its starring role as Downton Abbey, Highclere Castle has become one of England’s most visited destinations. Open to the public between July and September, be sure to book in advance to explore the Jacobean manor house with ornately-decorated rooms. 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 in the park. Later on, the palace was rebuilt as Highclere Place House in 1679 when it was purchased by Sir Robert Sawyer, the direct ancestor of the current Earl of Carnarvon. In 1842, Sir Charles Barry, who also designed the Houses of Parliament, transformed Highclere House into the present day Highclere Castle. During the First World War, Highclere Castle was converted into a hospital for wounded soldiers run by the 5th Countess of Carnarvon. Throughout the Second World War, Highclere Castle was home to children evacuated from London. There are between 250 and 300 rooms in the Castle and during your tour you will explore the main state rooms so familiar from "Downton Abbey". You will see some of the bedrooms after which you will follow the stairs down to the cellars and old staff quarters where you will find the Egyptian Exhibition, celebrating the 5th Earl of Carnarvon's discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun.
