Visit to Highclere Castle

 

Highclere Castle Visit Sept 2020

Hey Everyone,

Welcome back to the blog which today is all about our visit to Highclere castle in Newbury which is more famously known for being the home in the TV series and film Downton abby. The Castle itself has been the home of the Carnavon family for many years and is currently home to Lady Carnavon and her family who have been there since 2001.

These tickets have proved more than a challenge to book over the years but after the late reopening this year I finally managed to get some. 

The booking process through the website was very easy and straight forward with choosing what time slot we needed and what we would like to do on the day. Everything was sent quickly via email which you just needed to remember to print before you arrived.

For more information on booking for this and other events the castle offer head over to the website here for more information Highclere Castle Website

On arrival after the drive from London we made our way round the long driveway up to the castle. We were all to see the castle when it came into view as even though we haven't been before being fans of the show and the film it was very exciting to be there to experience it in real life. 

We chose to do the tour of the castle first, at our time of entry it was fairly quiet so it was just our group to follow the route round the rooms with smaller groups up ahead. As soon as you entered it was like walking onto a film set. Our guide told us not much was changed for the show, a few items had been added during filming but it was all pretty much used as it was shown on the day. 

Following the routes round the castle we saw lots of familiar sites from the show including the main halls, the library and also the bedrooms. On the information available we were told the rooms were used how they were for filming which could sometimes mean up to 30 people on a film crew in one room.

One of the most stand out things we saw inside the castle was the grand stair case. It had been featured through out the show and the movie and is one of the stand out parts. 

Everything is beautifully maintained and looked after. I have to give recognition to all the staff we saw on the tour as they all knew a lot about the castle and gave us stories from when the show had been filming as well.

We then had a look at the Tutankhamun exhibition. The exhibition is held at the castle currently and has many beautiful exhibits to be looked at. For more information check out this link here Egyptian Exhibition information

After finishing our look round the castle we headed outside for some food and drink. There are a few things on offer including a full afternoon tea and also drinks and snacks. Again I have to give a nod to the amazing staff who helped rescue a lot of people after the weather turned and the rain arrived by quickly moving tables and chairs under cover so people could carry on with their food. 

It was then the turn of the gift shop. There are some amazing items on offer to by to help you keep your memories of the day which are all themed for Highclere castle itself but also some Downton Abby items as well. 

As were coming to the end of the day we managed a short look at the gardens before the weather really turned. The view from the grounds is stunning and beautifully maintained and I highly recommend if you have a chance to visit to take a walk round you will really enjoy it. 

Since the visit I've been reading Lady Carnavon's blog about daily life on the estate. If you want to learn more about it head over to Lady Carnavon's Blog

I hope you have enjoyed this blog, let me know if you have visited the castle before and what you thought of it.

Have a good rest of the week

Love Holly 

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