Viking Cruises

Set in thousands of acres of sweeping parkland designed for the 1st Earl of Carnarvon by the famous 18th-century landscape gardener Capability Brown, Highclere Castle, built in the Victorian Gothic style by Sir Charles Barry, is perhaps best known for the past 15 years as the film location for the ever-popular Downton Abbey. In the centre of the grounds are the stunning walled and secret gardens and a wildflower meadow planted by the current 8th Earl and Countess of Carnarvon, who have lived in Highclere Castle since 2003. Lady Fiona enjoys gardening and sharing the castle's history through her books, which can be bought at the castle's gift shop. Often working with the estate's head gardener to enhance or restore historic planting styles, she has led initiatives to plant hundreds of trees across this working estate with free-range hens, sheep, pigs and beehives. On a tour through the castle where the local guide shares stories of busy days filming Downton Abbey and making sure the furniture, walls and flooring weren't getting damaged, there is a strict 'no photographs' or filming inside the castle. "Every filming day began early and finished late, but it has been and is a fascinating journey," says Lady Carnarvon. Many of Highclere Castle's furnishings date from the 18th or 19th century and were used as props in the TV series and movies. I recall certain scenes from the show being played out as I walk around the real-life "Downton Abbey." Stories about crew members using a valuable table as an ironing board and a scaffolding pole nearly hitting a Van Dyck painting on the first day of filming. The castle seems smaller in real life than what you see on TV or in the three Downton Abbey films. The library, off the vaulted- ceiling, Gothic entrance hall, where many scenes were filmed, is actually two rooms. With central dark mahogany painted double columns, the walls are lined with books on carved gilded bookcases, and there are photos of the Herbert family and English royals dotted around the room. Scenes of Maggie Smith delivering her infamous cutting lines from the well-written scripts by Julian Fellowes to fellow cast members, cue music as Carson walks into the dining room and Lady Mary runs from the upstairs bedroom after a certain Turkish ambassador incident, all come back to me as the storytelling guide shares lovely anecdotes with our group from Viking. Lady Carnarvon's sitting room, or the Morning Room, is a very pretty space in shades of green and pink chintz, filled with fresh flowers and plants with views out to beautiful sweeping lawns and gardens. This is where Maggie Smith and fellow actress Penelope Wilton (who plays Lady Merton) "In the centre of the grounds are the stunning walled and secret gardens and a wildflower meadow planted by the current 8th Earl and Countess of Carnarvon, who have lived in Highclere Castle since 2003." viking.com | 34 S P R I N G I S S U E 2 7

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