Happy New Year
We hope those who visited Highclere Castle at Christmas enjoyed themselves and, as ever, Geordie and I owe a huge thank you to an extraordinary effort from the Highclere team to create the beautiful frosty theme. Thank you also for a wonderful performance of a Christmas Carol by Gerald Dickens and the joyful carols sung by the Portsmouth Military Wives' Choir.
We have posted our Wintertime and Springtime tours which we have curated once more to welcome small numbers of guests given the on-going challenging winter. Thereafter we offer the general admission tickets for Easter, special "Living in a Castle" tours and then the summertime tours.
Stay in touch with our daily life and news through Highclere Castle Instagram, Lady Carnarvon's Blog, Podcast or Highclere Castle Facebook. We do hope you are all looking forward to the film "Downton Abbey: The New Era" in cinemas March 2022, whilst springtime with all its renewed hope and beauty at Highclere, is the opening chapter of the latest book "Seasons at Highclere"
Just a few notes for when you actually visit the "Real Downton Abbey" : if you have booked tickets and would like to reserve a manual wheelchair, please do email [email protected]. Pushchairs for babies and toddlers are most useful for the gardens and may be left at the entrance hall whilst you tour the Castle at which point, we would ask you to carry or hold fast to small children's hands! Again this year, neither dogs nor picnics are permitted in the gardens (guide dogs excepted). For any further useful information please click here
We very much hope that you will find many different tours to tempt you, and we will look forward to seeing you. Tickets for all of the above can be found on our ticketing website and, again, we ask that you book in advance of your visit.
With all best wishes for 2022
The Earl and Countess of Carnarvon
ABOUT THE CASTLE
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.
