How Stately Homes Like Downton Abbey’s Highclere Castle Are Coping During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Living in a stately home rather than a city apartment might seem like a dream right now during the global coronavirus outbreak, but the reality is a bit more complicated. Some of England's oldest stately homes—including Downton Abbey’s Highclere Castle and The Crown’s Belvoir Castle— have been forced to shut their gates indefinitely, with few staff left to manage estates with hundreds of rooms and tens of thousands of acres.
But, as history has shown, some of England’s greatest "statelies" are accustomed to surviving against the odds—and now more than ever, they’re rallying their families and communities together, spurred on by a deeply ingrained survival instinct. Those ancient walls have seen worse and will still be standing for centuries to come.
A Castle on Lockdown
It’s easy to imagine life in a manor house mirroring the image we see presented in period dramas—days spent roaming rose gardens and riding ponies, butlers bringing chilled cocktails on silver trays at the ring of a bell, and lavish dinners in grand dress every evening.
But today, families have to work hard to ensure their homes run smoothly without a big team of "downstairs" staff such as ladies maids and sous chefs on hand. These aren’t just homes anymore, they’re businesses, and in order to survive, they need to generate an income, which relies heavily on visitors.
Those have now all disappeared. “Just like every other business, virtually overnight Highclere was halted for the foreseeable future and with no warning," says Lady Carnarvon, who lives in the estate with her husband, the 8th Earl of Carnarvon. "It’s the shock of it all and then picking oneself up to get through the practicalities while keeping our mental strength together—it is the same for all us."
In addition to closing to the public, the stately homes in England have had to send their staff home in order to curb the spread of the virus, which means managing with fewer helping hands. “I’ve got a total skeleton of a team and that’s me at the forefront," says the Duchess of Rutland, whose home, Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire, provided many of the backdrops for The Crown. "I’ve let all cleaning go, nearly 250 rooms and the dust is just piling. But it can just wait.”
The Carnarvons are also operating without most of their staff at the moment. "The office computers are manned only by me," she says. "Geordie [Lord Carnavon] and I have divided up the tasks and he is sorting all the admin and running the accounts.”
An All-Hands-on-Deck Approach
At Belvoir, the Duchess of Rutland has called on her children—Lady Violet Manners, 27; Lady Alice Manners, 24; Lady Eliza Manners, 22; Charles, the Marquess of Granby, 20; and Lord Hugo Manners, 16—to help run the estate.
“We have a Whatsapp group going, it’s called the Corona Clan and in the mornings I share a to-do list. I don’t have staff anymore but I do have kids so I tell them where they need to be and what they need to be doing. I feel a little like the Sergeant Major,” she said.
“Eliza has taken to the lawnmower; Hugo is doing log cutting and log deliveries; Charles is driving tractors and chopping the maize; Alice has helped me set up a website for the Duchess’s Gallery [the Duchess’s fashion boutique inside the castle’s retail village, The Engine Yard]; and Violet is still working.”
“Eliza and Alice have written to all of our tenants asking if there is anything at all that they want from us, and they’re also running an online helpline too,” adds the Duchess. “I would imagine it is not dissimilar to how the castle was in the First World War, in those times when family members came to the forefront—it’s a great time to be reflective of our ancestors.”
Concessions are, of course, made to the usual order of things. "I’ve created a lovely dining room right next to our kitchen, at the base of the ballroom stairs, so we aren’t walking miles with food and it’s where everyone eats every night. We are all realizing how long it takes to do things, it’s made me much more appreciative of those who help us,” says the Duchess.
At Highclere, Lord and Lady Carnarvon are adopting what they call “the Dunkirk spirit”—firefighting through the mammoth number of tasks that need to be done. “There is a lot of outstanding hoovering, cleaning, and windows to check. Three of our part-time team are living here now and helping me every other day,” she says.
Of course, necessity has forced everyone to learn new skills. “I am a Jack of all trades and master of increasingly little... I do however know how to open the cellars,” adds Lady Carnarvon.
As at Belvoir, the Carnarvon family is trying to help Highclere's local community, particularly those who live in rented cottages and houses on the estate and who might not be able to go out: “I phone those who are older and chat often whilst I am on emails, which can go a little wrong with inadvertent typing," says Lady Carnarvon. "Normally we are very proactive with the local church but sadly all churches are closed to the public at this time. We are trying to make tentative dates with charities as they are so needed yet have minimal funds and no resources.”
Keep Calm and Carry On
While battling through her inbox and working her way around the household tasks at Highclere Castle, Lady Carnarvon revealed to T&C that during the lockdown, she’s still continuing with her weekly blog which she updates every Monday. “It may be historical, seasonal, and some uplifting stories of nature’s cycle on the estate. Given how everything can change from day to day, they are written rather close to the finishing post.”
Technology has allowed some houses to get creative. Hosting visitors may be off limits for now, but that hasn’t stopped Highclere and Belvoir Castle giving fans a behind-the-scenes glimpse into life on lockdown.
On Instagram, Belvoir Castle’s Duchess of Rutland has been posting snaps of the lambing season and the estate blossoming for spring, while Highclere’s Lady Carnarvon shares interior shots from some of the rarely-seen bedrooms and videos of her daily walks with Stella and Freya, her four-legged friends.
“Viking Cruises have just set up a TV channel from their website and I will be appearing every Friday chatting in different rooms or I hope outside in the gardens too. It’s live streamed on my husband’s phone which is operated by my son,” Lady Carnarvon adds.
At Belvoir, the Duchess of Rutland told T&C she’s picked up her bicycle again. “I’m witnessing all these wonderful camellias, dahlias and daffodils that I usually miss. We are a spring garden so I enjoy sharing with people what’s going on, through the gates of the castle.”
The Duchess of Rutland also spoke of the joy of having her family at home together again. “We’ve found a wonderful old backgammon set. I think they were playing backgammon to 3 a.m. the other morning.”
“The key thing of this time has been music. Charles is great on the guitar so he’s playing and everyone is singing. We’re a bit like the Von Trapp Family. Music is key and has been a big part in holding it all together,” the Duchess added.
The Castles Have Survived Worse
Stately homes like Highclere and Belvoir have stood through some of the bloodiest events in history. In the First World War, Lady Carnarvon’s predecessor, Lady Almina, opened up Highclere as a military hospital for wounded officers and she was head matron to 30 nurses. During WWII, the castle provided a home for dozens of evacuee children who were sent from the cities for their safety.
“I feel lucky to live in a home where my predecessors have done their best to serve in whatever way they can,” says Lady Carnarvon. “World Wars are entirely different circumstances. During WWII we were all called to do anything and everything to help, to dig for victory, to learn to fly, to physically work. Today we are helpless bystanders trying not to make anything worse."
Belvoir Castle too showed solidarity during the World Wars. During the Great War, the castle became a military hospital run by Violet the 8th Duchess of Rutland. “Below the castle there is a beautiful Charles II building and that’s where it was,” the Duchess notes. During the Second World War the castle also played its part in housing important government archives.
“When you live in a building like Belvoir, surrounded by the walls of history, that have come through civil wars and the agony of the First World War and the Second World War as well as many others before, you recognize that, yes, it’s a moment in time that feels very tough but maybe it’s our time as a human race to grow some British stiff upper lip and overcome it,” the Duchess adds.
Lady Carnarvon echoes the sentiment. “I feel we have to pull together and step forward in a dignified and strong way, whatever that might entail.”
You Might Also Like
