I found the following photos while watching Season Four, Episode One of Downton Abbey and thought I would share . . . 


"A pair of canephorae decorate the gateposts of Highclere Castle, in Hampshire [now the setting of PBS's hit show Downton Abbey], and suggest the dark splendor of treasures within. Home of the earls of Carnarvon, and built during the last century in fashionable Gothic Revival style . . . "
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by Elizabeth Dickson.
Architectural Digest (January - February 1979).

"Pointed arches, decorated with small marble columns, give the entrance hall a feeling of mysterious beauty. An ornate Sarabend rug, placed on a geometric parquet marble floor, produces a richly complex pattern." 
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by Elizabeth Dickson.
Architectural Digest (January - February 1979).

"The living room is seen through a series of arches, and is open to the grandly proportioned central space." 
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by Elizabeth Dickson.
Architectural Digest (January - February 1979).

"Van Dyck's monumental equestrian portrait of King Charles I dominates the dining room; other 17th-century portraits are predominately English. The table is scaled for intimacy; appointed with Hepplewhite chairs, it rests on a Caucasian rug." 
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by Elizabeth Dickson.
Architectural Digest (January - February 1979).

"Tall gilded columns serve to divide the long axis of the library. The rich tones of the coffered wood ceiling and Caucasian rugs give the room a warm Victorian feeling. On the far wall, a massive double-pediment bookcase is filled with old books, their fine leather bindings creating an additional pattern." 
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by Elizabeth Dickson.
Architectural Digest (January - February 1979).

"Exotic forms of griffons decorate a Regency armchair that attends a Regency mahogany and bronze writing desk. A Louis XVI bronze and ormolu candelabrum on a pedestal illuminates antique volumes in a parcel-gilt walnut bookcase." 
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by Elizabeth Dickson.
Architectural Digest (January - February 1979).

"Romantic and serene, Heaven's Gate is a 19th-century folly built atop a grassy mound in the castle's extensive private parklands."
Photography by Derry Moore.
Text by Elizabeth Dickson.
Architectural Digest (January - February 1979).

 Ralph Lauren held a private fashion show at Highclere Castle where the TV series Downton Abbey is filmed.
Photography by Chris Allerton courtesy of Ralph Lauren.



"Actor Hugh Bonneville, who plays the Earl of Grantham, is pictured here in Highclere's drawing room, leaning against a mantlepiece lined with early Victorian porcelain urns."
Photo via Architectural Digest courtesy Carnival Film and Television Limited 2011 for MASTERPIECE.
Text by Cathy Whitlock.

"Of Sybil's shocking new outfit, [Julian] Fellowes explains, 'no woman of her class, before Poiret's harem look, had ever been seen in trousers.' "

Lady Mary's "red dress is made from a turn-of-the-century Spanish evening dress." 

"[Julian] Fellowes describes how Edwardian period footmen were a true measure of status, hired for their good looks and height, with the taller footmen earning a higher salary. 'The real showpieces of the house were the footmen. Their uniforms would be provided by the house at great expense; when the men were offered the job, they would be told to go to the tailors to be fitted for the livery, trimmed with the family's crested buttons, and the cost would be charged to the family's account.' " 




 Ralph Lauren held a private fashion show at Highclere Castle where the TV series Downton Abbey is filmed.
Photography by Chris Allerton courtesy of Ralph Lauren.

Ralph Lauren held a private fashion show at Highclere Castle where the TV series Downton Abbey is filmed.
Photography by Chris Allerton courtesy of Ralph Lauren.

 Ralph Lauren held a private fashion show at Highclere Castle where the TV series Downton Abbey is filmed.
Photography by Chris Allerton courtesy of Ralph Lauren.

 Ralph Lauren held a private fashion show at Highclere Castle where the TV series Downton Abbey is filmed.
Photography by Chris Allerton courtesy of Ralph Lauren.

 Ralph Lauren held a private fashion show at Highclere Castle where the TV series Downton Abbey is filmed.
Photography by Chris Allerton courtesy of Ralph Lauren.

Ralph Lauren held a private fashion show at Highclere Castle where the TV series Downton Abbey is filmed.
Photography by Chris Allerton courtesy of Ralph Lauren.

The following books can provide more information about Downton Abbey, the history of Highclere Castle and its residents, and an account of life as a kitchen maid: 

Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey by The Countess of Carnarvon

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle by The Countess of Carnarvon 

The Chronicles of Downton Abbey: A New Era by Jessica Fellowes and Matthew Sturgis

The World of Downton Abbey by Jessica Fellowes

Below Stairs: The Classic Kitchen Maid's Memoir That Inspired "Upstairs, Downstairs" and :"Downton Abbey" by Margaret Powell

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