2022 - August - Downton Abbey Tour

After waiting for two years, today was finally the day: our Downton Abbey Tour finally started. It was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to Corona, and then several dates were rescheduled, which made us doubt whether we would ever reach our destination.

Basically, we planned our entire vacation around this one date and planned everything around it. So you see, the date was important to us.

Now, some may wonder what Downton Abbey even is. Let me explain: Downton Abbey is just a TV series. What??? So much fuss for something so trivial? Probably only those who, like us, have watched all the episodes and get a warm feeling in their hearts just from the (very beautiful) title music can understand.

And what is 'Downton Abbey' actually about? Starting in 1912, we accompany the noble family of the Crawleys and their staff through various hardships and also get a historical perspective. For example, in the first episode, it's about the sinking of the Titanic, but also about the beginning of electrification and how important it is to marry off the eldest daughter well to preserve the family estate. The production of the series is of very high quality. One episode costs between £800,000 and £1 million!

In the search for a suitable castle/estate for the filming, Highclere Castle was finally found. It is located southwest of London and is about a 1.5-hour drive away.

The stately country house in the Neo-Renaissance style is still privately owned. The fact that such ownership can also be a burden and, above all, costs money, was probably the reason why Highclere Castle has been used as a backdrop for films several times. When Stanley Kubrick filmed parts of 'Eyes Wide Shut' here in 1999, the money earned was apparently spent exclusively on wallpaper. At least that's what our guide told us, and he found it very wasteful.

The filming of 'Downton Abbey' took place here for several years, from 2010 to 2015, and again in 2018 and 2021 for the two movies. This, of course, brought in a lot of money. How much? No idea.

Now, after the end of filming, the castle owners continue to benefit from visitors from all over the world. However, it is only open irregularly. We had booked a tour anyway, but those who come by car themselves have to inform themselves beforehand.

In the house itself, there is a strict ban on photography (unfortunately) and strict staff in each room to enforce it. However, they are also very well informed and provide information to anyone interested.

Unfortunately, my outdoor shots did not turn out so well because it was very rainy today. What nature needed after 2.5 months of dryness was admittedly annoying for us.

But the visit to Highclere Castle was not the only stop on our tour. First, we went to the 800-inhabitant village of Bampton in our minibus. All village scenes were filmed here. Especially impressive is the cemetery with its ancient gravestones and the church behind it. The weddings were also filmed in this church.

Bampton has also benefited from the filming of 'Downton Abbey'. Our guide reported that all homeowners whose houses were part of the filming now have newly thatched roofs and a swimming pool behind the house. There are not too many tourists here yet.

By the way, we had the opportunity to watch one episode of 'Downton Abbey' on the bus both on the way there and on the way back. So everything was fresh in our minds and we immediately felt familiar when entering the filming locations.

But we weren't as crazy as some other fans (from the USA). They knew every supporting role by name (better than the guide) and in the end, at the request of the ladies, our bus had to do an extra lap to the title melody in front of the castle....

Now I have an earworm and I'm going to bed.