How 'Downton Abbey' Changed Highclere Castle
When Downton Abbey’s producers first approached Lady Carnarvon about filming at her husband’s majestic ancestral home, she had one request: Don’t burn the house down.
Her concern wasn’t just about safety; the countess didn’t want fans of the show to think that the real Highclere Castle had been destroyed. “People might think there really was a disaster,” she says, and ensuring that fans knew that the real-life Downton was still standing was sim-ply good business.
At a time when many of England’s country houses are no longer in the hands of their original families, Highclere is still the home of Lord and Lady Carnarvon. But independence doesn’t come cheap. Highclere costs a great deal to maintain, and while Downton Abbey has provided a kind of marketing you can’t put a price on, location fees alone don’t keep the doors open.
It’s up to Lady Carnarvon—the former Fiona Aitken—to turn that exposure into cash. A trained accountant who describes running the estate as “both a business and a way of life,” she is particularly well suited to the task.
During the summer months the castle is open to visitors, paying £16 a head, and 1,200 tourists a day arrive at their door, five days a week. Some are there for the architecture; others are more interested in the family’s role in the discovery of King Tut’s tomb (the fifth Earl of Carnarvon funded the search and excavation). But the draw of Downton is undeniable.
“Highclere was far less known in America, and Downton Abbey became such an extraordinary success there. It chimed exactly with the audience who wished to travel from the U.S.,” Lady Carnarvon says. “In that way it has transformed our marketing profile.”
The property has become a popular venue for weddings, galas, and even corporate events, and as of this fall, there will be more travel tie-ins to for Highclere. Viking, the cruise company that sponsored Downton’s run on PBS, has two new excursions that will take guests to the castle. Despite the increase in interest, there is a limit to what’s sustainable for the building.
And so Lady Carnarvon has found other ways to focus the Downton spotlight, including writing books and launching a gin with flavors in-spired by the castle’s gardens.
“I’ve tried to say, ‘Please come and support Highclere. Share in what we’re trying to do,’” she says. “Toast the film with our gin, if nothing else. That’s the way to build a sustainable Highclere.”
This story appears in the October 2019 issue of Town & Country. SUBSCRIBE NOW
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