The Delights of Highclere

When we started planning our trip to England and Scotland I knew that Highclere Castle had to be on the agenda. The PBS show, Downton Abbey, had captivated us and to see where it was filmed would be a special treat.

Highclere was to be our first stop the day after landing at Heathrow. We scoped it out the night before our visit. It is possible to drive right up to the parking lot and see the castle without leaving one’s car. We stayed in the nearby Yew Tree Inn and I could hardly wait to see the inside of the castle and view the rooms that had become so familiar to us on Downton.

Two weeks before we left for England I received an email saying we could attend a high tea in the Coach House behind the castle if we so desired. It seemed a once in a lifetime thing to do, so I signed us up for tea at 2:15 p.m. It was not inexpensive, but we found that the experience was worth every penny we paid for it.

The drive onto the castle property shows a beautiful landscape filled with sheep grazing in meadows. No other structures can be seen from the castle, just rolling meadows of green grass and trees. There is a large grass covered parking lot fairly close to the castle with just a short walk through the gate and up to the front door where a woman took our tickets.

Sheep in a meadow leading up to Highclere Castle.

The main entrance is on the other side.

The tour through Highclere Castle is self guided. There are people in each room that will answer questions and I had a few when I saw some china in a glass case. I was curious to know what company made it and asked the man who was guarding the room and answering questions. He told me it was Sevres, a high quality French porcelain.

Because this castle is home to the Earl and Countess Carnarvon, there were personal photos of theirs on various tables. We were told no pictures were to be taken even if not using a flash. We obeyed that on the first floor. When I saw a woman taking pictures of the bedrooms on the second floor I asked her if she was being naughty. She said, “All my friends in Canada are depending on me.” I laughed and looked around to see if anyone was watching and snapped a few pictures of my own. Hack did the same thing. Luckily there were no photo police following us.

Looking down to the main floor.

The gardens of Highclere were a short distance from the castle down a gravel path.  A groundskeeper was trimming and the work involved in keeping up this huge place has to be enormous and expensive.. The fact that tourists are coming in droves and spending many pounds to get in has to be helping the Carnarvons manage their property. There are two tea rooms and a gift shop that also add money to their bank account.

The gate out of the garden area.

At 2:15 p.m. we went into the Coach House and were led upstairs to the tea room. The tables were covered with white linen table cloths and yellow roses graced every table. We were brought glasses of champagne, a pot of tea and then a three tiered plate with small sandwiches, pastries and scones. It seemed a massive amount of food, but Hack said, “Let’s pace ourselves and eat every bit.” We did. It was all delicious.

Tea for Two

Highclere closed to the public for the year on September 22. We were there on September 15. It was fun to see the first episode of Downton Abbey on BBC while we were in Edinburgh. I will not give anything away, but season five contains many plot lines that will keep us watching in the cold and snowy winter in Michigan. I would recommend to anyone that if they get a chance to go to England, go when Highclere is open to the public. You won’t regret that decision.

Much beauty everywhere, even in the little things like this bench and pot of flowers.

A huge tree that is often seen on Downton Abby.

Yup....we were actually there.

Visitors to Highclere having lunch on the back lawn.