Highclere Castle

 Our visit to Downtown Abbey aka Highclere Castle

Highclere Castle


Seven generations of the 1st Earl of Carnarvon have lived at Highclere since 1793 when King Charles I rewarded Henry Herbert with the earldom in recognition of his support in quelling a civil rebellion. 






Lancelot ‘Capabilities’ Brown


The pastoral grounds highlighting the undulating natural scenery were designed by the famed landscaper Lancelot Brown, nicknamed "Capabilities Brown" because of his fondness for saying that a place had “capabilities.”

Old structure clad with a facade to give it new look from 3 sides


The original structure modestly named Highclere Place House was built in 1679 by the politician and future attorney general Sir Robert Sawyer, an ancestor of the Earl of Carnarvon, and stands on the foundation of a palace owned by Bishop William of Wykeham built in 749 AD. 



Winged Wyverns (a legendary winged serpent-like creature with two legs) stand guard at the entrances.  "Ung je Serviray" is the family motto, which in arcane Norman French means "Only One Will I Serve".  Whether that one is God, King, country, spouse or pet hamster is left to the imagination of the individual.


But the 3rd Earl of Carnarvon was so impressed by the architect Sir Charles Barry, who designed Westminster Palace for the Houses of Parliament (1837–60), that he hired him to build an extension in that same Elizabethan (or the preceding “Jacobethan”) style and christened it Highclere Castle. 

Napoleon’s desk and chair - among the many family heirlooms (Photo: Newspaper)

Arguably its most famous resident was George Herbert (1842 – 1918), the 5th earl of Carnarvon, patron of the world-famous Egyptological expedition that he co-led with Howard Carter, that first discovered and opened the tomb of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun, in 1922. While sailing past the Isle of Helena, he decided to drop in to visit the imprisoned Napoleon Bonaparte only to be told that the deposed Emperor had passed away a few days earlier and that his personal belongings were up for sale. The Earl promptly bought Napoleon's desk and chair and loaded them on his ship before continuing on with his travels. The walls of the Music Room have elaborate 16th-century Italian silk embroideries allegedly handwoven by monks. All this was made possible when in 1895, Baron Alfred de Rothschild proffered his illegitimate daughter, Almina Victoria Maria Alexandra Wombwell, in an arranged marriage for £150,000. Almina brought an additional £500,000 of inheritance to buy entrance of the Frankfurt-based Rothschild into upper-class English High Society. She wholeheartedly supported her husband in his various interests like race cars, breeding race horses, and of course Egyptology.

The view most familiar to Downton Abbey fans

Highclere entered into the public imagination with the eponymous PBS television series Downton Abbey (2010-2015). Julian Fellowes, creator and executive producer of the series, read the house's history and incorporated certain details, such as the use of the mansion for the care of World War I casualties, into the show.

High tea

We ended our visit with a high tea served by the chefs of Highclere Castle. 

References

1. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2022. Highclere Castle | Description, History, & Facts. [online] Available at: <https://www.britannica.com/place/Highclere-Castle> [Accessed 16 September 2022].
2. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2022. Highclere Castle | Description, History, & Facts. [online] Available at: <https://www.britannica.com/place/Highclere-Castle> [Accessed 16 September 2022].


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