It’s been such a privilege to see our home at the heart of Downton’s adventure
Fiona and her husband George, the 8th Earl of Carnarvon, have been the custodians of Highclere Castle since 2001. Lady Carnarvon tells JULIA KUTTNER why she is looking forward to welcoming the Downton Abbey cast and crew to her home one last time.
IT HAS become one of the most famous houses in Britain – and the world – since doubling as the fictional Downtonabbey.the popular ITV period drama that ran for six series from 2010 to 2015, with two spin-off movies, has made stars Hugh Bonneville, Dame Maggie Smith, Dame Penelope Wilton and Elizabeth Mcgovern household names.
And they have attracted much-needed visitors to help pay for the upkeep of the stunning Highclere Castle and its estate, nestled on the Hampshire-berkshire border.
Another of its stars, actor Jim Carter who portrayed butler Carson, last week revealed that the third and final Downton Abbey film will start shooting there in four weeks’ time.
The storyline is expected to pick up where the last sequel left off, in the late 1920s.
Jim, 75, says: “What can I tell you about the new Downton film? Very little, really. I don’t want to give any spoilers but I think we can assuredly say it will be the last.
“They are still tinkering with the script. All the favourite characters will be there, with some new ones for a bit of fun.”
Lady Carnarvon, who has been married to the godson of the late Queen since 1999, said she cannot comment on when filming will start for the latest blockbuster.
But she adds: “If they do come back, we will always welcome them. It’s been an amazing partnership and collaboration. Highclere and Downton are one and the same, so it’s been an extraordinary journey.”
Lord Julian Fellowes created the muchloved drama about the aristocratic Grantham family and their staff at their country house and estate. Its popularity across the globe – particularly in the US where former First Lady Michelle Obama was a fan – made Highclere a leading UK visitor attraction.
Lady Carnarvon says living at the estate when the film crew rolls in and takes over can be a challenge but she feels it is worth the
disruption. She says: “It’s like anything – as long as you plan and prepare, and you know what’s going on, you fall into a different routine.
“And you know, it’s fascinating to watch. It’s amazing how long the days are and how much filming is done to get a four-minute take.
“It’s all those people running around which people forget.then there’s the amount of kit and the light balloons going up and down, and the riggers and the sound engineers.”
She says the privacy of Highclere has made it the perfect location to shoot the drama.
“One of the reasons Downton works well at Highclere is there is no public footpath through or near it. So they have privacy when they’re filming, which is great.
“And when they’re filming we’re not open so there is no access to the front of the grounds. Some people turn up even if we say the ground is closed but then we always have some security to say ‘please come back another time’.”
Lady Carnarvon laughs when asked if she and her beloved dogs Stella and Freya have featured on screen as extras. She says: “No, we haven’t, maybe we should.”
She reveals she is also a huge fan of the show, watching it with her family every Sunday night as millions did across the UK.
“I really enjoyed the Sunday evenings at home and I like the ritual of doing that, like so many people do.
“It was a wonderful moment for families. It was lovely, to put the rest of the week to bed and be prepared for Monday.”
Highclere Castle is a Grade I-listed
country house built in 1679 and renovated in the 1840s. An 18th-century park designed by Capability Brown sits in the 5,000-acre estate.
The visitors attracted by Downton Abbey help with this but Lady Carnarvon says that maintaining the house and estate is still a “constant struggle”.
She says: “People think the house being used as a location means its future is secure but to balance the books takes a lot more than that. It helps us with marketing and makes us current. It’s then what you do with the opportunity in front of you. Downton has been the most amazing journey but you can’t be passive, you need to be proactive.”
To maintain the estate she juggles being a farmer with running a tourist attraction, a gin business and her career as a historian and author.
The family are in the middle of a busy
lambing season, Lady Carnarvon’s favourite time of the year.they are expecting up to 2,800 lambs to be delivered over the next few weeks, with their lambing sheds busy throughout April.
She says: “I love this time of year. I look forward to it all the time.we have about 1,400 ewes and it brings so much hope and joy.”
But the Countess, who gave us a tour of the estate before the exclusive interview, is dismayed by the farming policies of the Government.
She says: “It’s insane that farmers are being told to grow trees and not food. You can’t eat trees, you need to grow wheat, barley and oats.
“We need those basic grains and we shouldn’t be importing them from across the ocean because we can produce them ourselves. It’s ridiculous to think we are saving carbon by planting trees here and importing wheat from America and Canada.”
Lady Carnarvon adds that visitors to the castle are currently allowing them to keep the farm going, which should be the other way round.
She said she is looking forward to the summer season for tourists, during which she is often seen greeting guests.
But she adds: “You know, there’s nothing better than lying on the lawns and looking up, and gently dozing for a bit with no schedule.”