Mr. Carson returns to Downton.
Over 100 houses viewed online and over 40 visited across England. But they ended up in the first one they had set foot on: Highclere Castle. It didn't matter that he was in Berkshire instead of Yorkshire. The surroundings would give the hit and, in addition, that is what the magic of the camera is for. It was a unanimous team decision. downton abbey when the production of the series started, back in 2009.
“It was the perfect size, the surrounding landscape was perfect and it could perfectly represent being in Yorkshire. There were a lot of factors we needed to consider about the house, but when we got together to say which house we liked best, we all said Highclere, and the rest is history,” he recalls. Donald Woods, production designer and the one in charge of transforming and adapting (just enough) the interior of some rooms where the Crawleys and their distinguished guests would stay.
downton abbey
Ten years later, Highclere Castle is today a top tourist attraction. Currently owned by the Earls of Carnarvon, it was completed in the 17th century and rebuilt by Sir Charles Barry, the famous architect of the Parliament of London (“Like saying Frank Gehry today”, explains Woods), between 1842 and 1849. When the producers of Downton Abbey chose it, the great mansion of 300 rooms and 2,000 hectares of land was not going through its best moment.
Only some lost tourist fell there. After the success of the series, already in the third season, visitors amounted to more than 1,200 a day. For the owners, the series meant having the necessary money not only to maintain it but also to restore it and preserve the splendor that we see on screen, but without the magic of the camera.
Today it can be visited (previous reservation of tickets is better) and there are agencies that offer special experiences in it or its surroundings always related to the series: like having tea in one of its rooms, combining it with a river cruise... The last one? Airbnb will allow you to stay for just one night (November 26) in one of its rooms for a more than adjusted price: $150. The hard part, actually, will be getting to be one of the lucky ones: reservations will open on October 1 at 12 noon (London time, 1 p.m. in Spain).
TOURISM OF SERIES AND CASTLES
Highclere Castle, or Downton Abbey, is, of course, the heart and protagonist of the jump from the series to the big screen. With an aerial shot over his garden and his best profile, the film starts and then runs to go back into the corners, old acquaintances, between the service rooms and the owners' lounges. Everything is the same, but it's better now. The cinema, although it implies time limitations, has given them possibilities of locations that they did not have during the six television seasons.
“Highclere Castle is iconic and of course a character in its own right, but for the film we wanted to find a balance between what we already knew while also offering something bigger and a little more special,” the producers explain. Adds Woods: “On a TV series, you can't normally afford to travel that much for one or two scenes, but We've been lucky with the film: we've moved a lot to find the perfect locations. We have truly traveled the country in our quest to bring variety.”
Another view of one of the most famous houses on screen.
"I think British tourism will be very grateful," says Mark Ellis, location manager for the series and film. As are and will be the owners of English aristocratic mansions and houses through which the team has passed and have seen visitors and income rise for its restoration.
To the well-known tour of Downton Abbey, which passed through Alnwick Castle, with 700 years of history, or Coggers Manor House, in Oxfordshire, all these locations that the film will also make fashionable, without a doubt, will now be joined:
Mr. Carson's country house.
HAREWOOD HOUSE
It is as spectacular a mansion as Highclere Castle. In 1927, the year in which the film takes place, it was the residence of Lord Lascelles and his wife, Princess Mary, the daughter of kings. In fact, the ball that took place in this house with the kings as hosts was the starting point for the plot of the Downton Abbey film. It is considered one of the 10 most beautiful houses in England. They shot its exterior and also in some of the rooms inside.
The interior of Harewood House in the film.
BAMPTON
East oxfordshire village He plays the role of Downton in the series and also in the movie. Of course, there are tours that take you to the corners where the protagonists have passed.
BRADFORD
The call “Little Germany”, a late 19th century neighborhood in Bradford, it served as a location to represent the streets of York in the film. Without revealing details, there they filmed the scenes of the police station and a clandestine club in which the character of Thomas Barrow ends up.
WENTWORTH WOODHOUSE
The King and Queen of England visited this house in 1912 and their visit to the Earls of Fitzwilliam also served as inspiration for their visit to Downton Abbey. This is the mansion as the largest facade in all of England. Built in 1735, it has been a military camp during the war, a university. However, in the film they only used its impressive ballroom and although it was in very poor condition, it was the perfect size to house the technical team, the main actors and more than 150 extras.
The great ballroom of Wentworth House.
PICKING
The train station from this little Yorkshire town also appears in the film.
BEAMISH
A scenario also common in the series, this Outdoor museum it is a recreation of life in the area at the beginning of the 20th century. Therefore, here they have found from the bakery to a tea room and in the film it is Mr. Bakewell's shop, where Mrs. Patmore and Daisy fill the cupboard of Downton Abbey.
LACOCK
East 18th century jewel town It is the scene of the sequences of the parade dedicated to the kings in the film, where the Yorkshire Hussars are inspected. A charming place that has already served as a location for other famous period productions, such as Cranford.
The town of Lacock, usual film and series setting.