• Highclere Castle

A 17th century country house of the Earl of Carnarvon, famous for being the prime location for the historical Downton Abby TV series and movie.

The castle is located 58 km northeast of Stonehenge, and 53 km south of Oxford. The house state rooms, the small Egyptian exhibition, and large gardens and grounds are open to the public during the summer months, Christmas, and Easter, and for special guided tours all year round.

Highclere Castle holds more than 200 rooms, but only few are open to the public.

  • In the ground floor enjoy the Entrance Hall with its Gothic arch, the spectacular Gothic Saloon, the library, the Music Room with its Baroque painted ceiling and tapestries, the elegant Drawing Room, and more.
  • Downstairs, visit the small Egyptian Exhibition, reflecting the 5th Earl of Carnarvon activities in purchasing and discovering a large collection of Egyptian artifacts. Note that the Earl financed the discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamun with Howard Carter, and in the exhibition you will find the story of the discovery of the tomb, and replicas of some of the main objects discovered in the tomb.

Highclere Castle is set on about 1,000 acres of parkland including woodland lawns and lakes.
Enjoy the Monk’s Garden, the Secret Garden, the Wildflower Meadow, numerous Statues, and more. Also in the park, the Highclere Gothic-style Chapel, the Temple of Diana, the 18 meters high Heaven’s Gate, the Jackdaw’s Castle, the Etruscan Temple, and more.

Spend at least 2-3 hours visiting the castle and its grounds and remember that booking tickets online in advance is highly recommended.

The Downton Abbey fans may be interested in visiting Bampton, a small Cotswolds village 60 km north of the castle, also used in the Downton Abby TV series and movie as the fictional Downton. In the village you will notice Isobel Crawley’s house, Churchgate House, St. Mary’s village church and churchyard, Grantham Arms pub, Church View, the village green, and the Cottage Hospital.

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Interior view of Highclere Castle, home to the Earl of Carnarvon and setting of the popular tv series Downton Abbey in England, UK

Interior view of Highclere Castle, home to the Earl of Carnarvon and setting of the popular tv series Downton Abbey in England, United Kingdom

Interior view of Highclere Castle, home to the Earl of Carnarvon and setting of the popular tv series Downton Abbey in England, UK