Honestly, until about 2 years ago I knew almost nothing about the series Downton Abbey. I heard it from so many people that it’s so good, I should really watch it. One day, I walked into a charity shop here in Oxford (there are quite a lot of them in England, where you can buy second-hand clothes, books, furniture, kitchen ware and many more, and the income goes to the given charity), where I saw the first 4 seasons on DVD for sale. Even though we live in a world where DVDs are not needed any more, I still took it as a sign, and decided to buy them – at least I could support the charity as well. There are two reasons I’m grateful for that catch: 1) it is a very well-made, quality series, which I found really enjoyable watching – I simply got hooked on it, let’s be honest; 2) I got to know that two of its main filming locations are quite close to Oxford, and can be visited, so I took them up on the list of places I want to visit.
For those who don’t know anything about Downton Abbey, it’s a British historical TV series set in the early 20th century. It presents the life of the Crawley family, who are great examples of an aristocratic family of that time with their splendid estate, manor farms and all their domestic servants. But don’t imagine them as heartless, ice-cold aristocrats, but more like people with empathy, respect for their workers, and who are capable of keeping up with the changing times, changing trends – even if sometimes it takes time to realise the need for change. We not only learn more about the characters and witness great character developments, but we also get to know more about the historical events like the sinking of the Titanic, the First World War, the Irish War of Independence, etc., and how these events affected British society and people’s behaviour and attitudes. All in all, there is a lot in this series, for which it’s worth watching, and not as a negligible point, it has a beautiful setting.
There are obviously more locations where it’s set and where it was filmed, but the main one is the fictional Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey, which is, in reality, the Highclere Castle in Hampshire. It’s a grandiose house built in Jacobethan style (mixing renaissance and gothic elements), and which is currently home for the 8th Earl and Countess of Carnarvon. The estate has a long history, with the first written records dating back to 749 when an Anglo-Saxon King granted the estate to the Bishops of Winchester. It was then in 1679 when the current earl’s direct great-great-great-…-grandfather, Sir Robert Sawyer purchased and re-built it as Highclere Place House. It was transformed into Highclere Castle in 1842 for the request of the 3rd Earl of Carnarvon. It played an important role during the two world wars: it operated as a hospital during WWI, and it was home for evacuees during WWII.
It can be visited by anyone during summer, but there are guided tours and various events throughout the year, like Tea, Talk, Tours in different themes, X-Mas fair, special private guided tours, or even an Egyptian exhibition. It’s worth planning a day-out here, as it takes time to walk around the house, which you wouldn’t want to rush, or couldn’t even rush because it’s quite busy, and there are no vast rooms to walk through, but a rather narrow corridor where you have to walk in a line in one direction, and peak into the rooms in this way. It’s still enjoyable, especially if you recognise the settings from the film. At the same time, you can have a glimpse into the life of the real owners of the house, too, through personal objects and photographs. Besides the house, you can take a walk in the beautiful gardens, or enjoy a coffee and a nice meal in the cafeteria. It’s a perfect place to spend a relaxing Sunday in the nature, especially if the sun is out, too.
Another important place of the series is the Yew Tree Farm, especially from season 4, where the Drewe family lives, and which was filmed on the Cogges Manor Farm. It’s a 20-minute drive from Oxford, and you can see the manor house, stalls, a nice garden with vegetables and flowers, a picnic area, and a meadow with animals. The manor house is dated back to the mid-13th century, but it had several owners from archbishops through barons to viscounts, who made changes to the building throughout their times. In 1974, it became the property of the Oxfordshire County Council, who first operated the farm as a living museum depicting rural life in the Victorian era, but then they closed the museum. It has recently re-opened in 2011, and it’s operated by a charitable trust.
It’s more like a little farmyard today, where they grow vegetables, have some chickens, pigs, sheep, goats, rabbits and ponies, and where people – especially families – can come and enjoy a day out, and at the same time, learn about growing vegetables, food, traditional making of dairy products. All the work on the farm is done by volunteers. When I visited the farm, there was an Apple Festival taking place, which made it even more interesting. You could visit the stalls and see the animals as usual, but you could also see how they make cold-pressed apple juice from the locally grown fruit, what’s more, you could even get some bottles of it. Or if you brought your own apples, you could make your own. I can tell you, the freshly pressed apple juice was amazing, I just wish I had bought more bottles of it.
Apart from this, there was a demonstration of butter making in the dairy house, where you could also see the original tools and dishes for butter making. At the end of the demonstration, we could taste some fresh butter spread on home-made baguette. In another wing of the manor house, they made toffee apple, which was very popular among the kids. Though I didn’t buy any, the smell of the burnt sugary caramel mixed with the apple’s was really enticing. On top of these, I had luck that I was there at the time of a house tour led by a volunteer, an ex-theatre actor, who told us about the history and the owners of the house, and how life must have been there back in the days. We could even visit the rooms upstairs which are not always open for the public. And of course, in the big hall, there were some pictures showing scenes from Downton Abbey and captures from the shooting. This Apple Day was one of their many events throughout the year – the next will be a pumpkin-related one around Halloween.
All in all, if you are a true Downton Abbey-fan like me, you just cannot miss these places (among probably some others), since you can be in the library where Robert and Cora had their tea, in the great hall where big events happened, have a sneak peek into the girls’ rooms, or you can just stand at the entrance waiting for Mr Carson, the butler to come and welcome you in. If you don’t have a clue what Downton Abbey is, I can still wholeheartedly recommend visiting these places, as they are truly remarkable, perfect for day trips and for spending a relaxing day in the nature, and last but not least, they represent and show you a piece of history.
