Highclere castle

There has been a home at Highclere since 749 AD, when an Anglo/Saxon king granted the estate to the Bishops of Winchester..in the late 14th century William Wykeham built a medieval castle and gardens in the park, an itinerary of King Edward II lists him as spending the night September 2, 1320 with the bishop of Winchester at Bishops Clere, alias Highclere …

These days, Highclere Castle is known to most as home to Downton Abbey, the Victorian home of the Grantham family under the series and cinema creator Julian Fellows…

Today’s Highclere Castle is the work of Victorian architect, Sir Charles Barry who also designed and built Parliament in Westminster London..

In the 21st century, Lord and Lady Carnarvon took on repairs, unlike some other famous homes in England Highclere was built to be primarily a family home .. a large one 250-300 rooms with high ceilings that give off a sense of light …

Lord and Lady Carnarvon in 2007 created the Egyptian exhibit which lies in the cellar of the castle and tells the story of the discovery of Tutankhamen’s Tomb by the 5th Earl ..

By 2009 the Castle needed major repairs …

Lord and Lady Carnarvon live in a cottage on the estate grounds most of the time , repairs where needed on the entire estate from major water damage … estimated cost 12 million pounds, the increased number of visitors made it possible … the family now live at Highclere at various times but return to their cottage when the castle is open to the public …

Lady Carnarvon loves sitting in the library with the fireplace lit among the decorative carvings framing the bookshelves, reflecting English woodland leaves and fruit embossed leather is fixed to the front of each shelve ..the library is filled with antiquarian volumes, biographies, novels, family Bibles, resources on botany and history … some inherited from the 4th Earl’s ancestor Robert Herbert …

Sitting by the comfort of the fire dwelling in nostalgia of the past..

January the estate is quiet with very few events, time for thoughtful meditations, walking the dogs and then returning for hot cups of tea and buttered crumpets, curled up in a chair in the saloon reading one of many good books ..

Lady Carnarvon looks ahead to Burns Night on January 25th colored by Scottish tartan and bagpipes, they often have a party to celebrate one of her favorite nights of the year, reminding her of her Scottish Heritage and the fact the days will become longer, snowdrops and winter crocuses will start to bloom supplying much needed color …

One more reflective step to lead us out of the dark days , is the candlemas on Feb 2nd - the ritual presentation of the baby Jesus to God in the Temple of Jerusalem… this is when all the churches candles are blessed for a year… Festival of Light marking the middle of winter, half way between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox ..

The Countess also hosts an online book club and tea … There is also a gift shop on the estate for visitors that come to visit the castle and gardens …