Do you live in a Downton Abbey?
Even if your bed and breakfast is historical, it may not have all the drama that comes with the television show called Downton Abbey. One of the most talked about shows on television has an official premiere date for their fourth season in the United States: Downton Abbey will begin on PBS on Sunday, January 5 of 2014 and run through Sunday, February 23rd. This is the highest rated drama that PBS has ever had. Masterpiece airs Sunday nights at 9 pm EST.
The show is set in Highclere Castle, where people may have lived as long as 1300 years ago. The structural work on the interior of the Castle was finally completed in 1878. Once built, the Castle became a center of political life during the late Victorian era.
In many ways Highclere Castle epitomized the confidence and glamour of the Edwardian period in the first few years of the twentieth century. Visitor books record the house parties full of politicians, technological innovators, Egyptologists, aviators and soldiers.
During the First World War, Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon, transformed the Castle into a hospital, and patients began to arrive from Flanders in September 1914. She became an adept nurse and a skilled healer and hundreds of letters from patients and their families bear testament to her untiring work and spirit of generosity.
The Castle returned to a private home and in 1922 the 5th Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun, the first global world media event.
Following the death of the 5th Earl, his son, who then became the 6th Earl, returned to Highclere where he lived until 1986. During the Second World War, the Castle briefly became a home for evacuee children from north London.
The current (8th) Earl and Countess of Carnarvon live partly in the Castle and partly nearby but remain closely involved in the Castle’s day to day life and future. If you live in a historical bed and breakfast, your guests would love to hear about its history–including the drama!
