Sad to say, Sunday night PBS will air the last installment of Downton Abbey. Many of us will be left waiting for the second series to air. Meanwhile, we have another 90 minutes to look forward to.
Suppose the Earl of Grantham had not married his American heiress with her pot of money? How might his beautiful estate have fared with his diminished resources? The Earl of Carnarvon, owner of Highclere Castle, is facing just such a dilemma these days. While the library and entrance hall are still stunning, many rooms are crumbling and in a state of disrepair. While publicity from the filming of Downton Abbey has helped increase visitors to his house, the costs of maintenance are enormous.
Read more about the current situation here: Can Highclere Castle Be Saved?
Also: Highclere Castle is Not for Sale
Jane Austen's World: Bampton, Location of the Town in Downton Abbey and The Jane Austen Connection to Downton Abbey and Egypt
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| The library in Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey) |
Suppose the Earl of Grantham had not married his American heiress with her pot of money? How might his beautiful estate have fared with his diminished resources? The Earl of Carnarvon, owner of Highclere Castle, is facing just such a dilemma these days. While the library and entrance hall are still stunning, many rooms are crumbling and in a state of disrepair. While publicity from the filming of Downton Abbey has helped increase visitors to his house, the costs of maintenance are enormous.
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| The Crawley daughters exit the drawing room. |
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| Damage to one of the bedrooms |
Read more about the current situation here: Can Highclere Castle Be Saved?
Also: Highclere Castle is Not for Sale
Jane Austen's World: Bampton, Location of the Town in Downton Abbey and The Jane Austen Connection to Downton Abbey and Egypt
2 comments:
Wow, that's sad...I never would have guessed it from seeing it in the series!
It is a shame to see the dilapidated state of so much of Highclere Castle. What a lot of estates are doing is turning their grounds into safari parks, creating adventure parks for holiday makers and tourists and opening their houses and treasures for the public to epruse. they might also be partly turned into high class hotels. The activities they have at Highclere are minimal compared to other stately homes. Highclere needs to be made to work for it's existence. It is such a beautiful pile that I hope someone comes up with a great business strategy for it.
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