Viking Cruises

22 VIKING.COM It seems a world apart as you drive through the gates and into the park at Highclere. e road leads you down and winds around as you glance toward the south, knowing that the castle is somewhere near. Eventually, you reach the Lodge gates and the final graveled approach. Arriving at an oblique angle undoubtedly emphasizes the splendor and majesty of the weathered golden stone and the immensity of the castle. e tall, dark walnut, iron-studded front doors stand centrally under a portico surmounted by the family's coat of arms. Stepping inside, you are welcomed into the vaulted front hall. Wandering through the familiar State Rooms of Highclere Castle, portraits of the family lead you through time and history. In reality they are, of course, generally relatives of the Carnarvon family, which has lived at Highclere since the mid-17th century; but, thanks to their presence as a background on the set of Downton Abbey, they are also, in a peculiar way, relatives of the Grantham family. From top to bottom: The drawing room at Highclere Castle; a photograph of the excavation site in Egypt Many of the works of art at Highclere could well be in a museum rather than a home and have been collected over the centuries by the family. e 2nd and 3rd Earls of Carnarvon were inveterate travelers, fascinated by the worlds of Roman and Greek classical antiquity. ey returned home to Highclere with the 17th-century leather wall hangings from Cordoba in Spain now found in the Saloon, along with paintings from Venice, statues from Rome, embroideries from Italy, tapestries from France and Belgium and, above all, tales of their travels and a greater knowledge of the world. In turn, their experiences led to improvements to their home and to better-informed discussions in Parliament. In particular, the 4th Earl of Carnarvon spoke of the importance of seeing the pageantry of other countries rather than just reading the black-and-white lines on a page in a book. Notwithstanding this comment, Highclere's Library is one of the most impressive and comfortable rooms in the castle. Some of the books date back to the 16th century and most have been read, with pencil marks in the margins testifying to the reader's interest and scholarship. e Library is cataloged and one entire section is about travel, complete with diaries and engravings, revealing a world which we now take for granted. Perhaps the most famous traveler of the family was the 5th Earl of Carnarvon. In 1922 he stood in the middle of the first global media event: the discovery of the tomb of the boy pharaoh, Tutankhamen. e 5th Earl was the archetypal Edwardian explorer, sailing the world in his yacht, the Aphrodite. 12 VIKING

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