With Downton Abbey: A New Era making waves at the box office, all eyes are on the mesmerising locations that take centre stage in the latest instalment of the lives of the Crawley family and their household. This time Downton turns up the glamour, welcoming a Hollywood film crew into its elegant rooms, decamping to a magical villa in the South of France and hosting a surprise wedding. We take a closer look at the beautiful real homes and locations used in our favourite period drama...
The aristocratic backdrop to Downton Abbey, Highclere Castle has become as iconic as the stellar cast. In real life, the Elizabethan-style house, which has 200 rooms and dates back to the 8th century, is home to the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon. It is located in the beautiful North Wessex Downs in the county of Hampshire, England, around 60 miles west of London.
The Lord and Lady Carnarvon first opened the doors of their ancestral home to Downton Abbey in 2010 and the stately home is now known the world over. The property has also featured in some big-name movies including Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
The house was remodelled by Sir Charles Berry, who designed the Houses of Parliament in London. The majestic carved staircase is often featured in the series – here it is in the sequel, with Hugh Bonneville as Lord Grantham and Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Talbot. The property and its 1,060 acres is one of the last aristocratic-owned farming estates in England – and produces the oats used to feed the Queen’s horses.
Here we see Sophie McShera as Daisy and Lesley Nicol as Mrs Patmore, both hard it work in the kitchen. Such scenes were actually filmed at Ealing Studios. Highclere's real-life "downstairs" – the cellar – houses a stash of Egyptian treasures unearthed by the 5th Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter when they discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922. It includes a magnificent reproduction of the sarcophagus and is open to the public.
In the sequel, the family – gathered here in the Drawing Room – ring the changes by opening the doors of Downton Abbey to a Hollywood film crew. In real life, the Drawing Room, with its gold mouldings and textured wallpaper, was created by Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon.
Here it is pictured without the star-studded cast. Despite its obvious grandeur, the house has seen harder times. During the First World War, it was transformed into ward for injured soldiers during the house’s period as a convalescent home.
Villa Rocabella is owned by multi-millionaire Jean-Baptiste Rudelle and designed by Danish architect Hans-Georg Tersling in the late 19th century. Previously used as a literary salon, the property was converted into a holiday retreat after World War II.
When Hollywood comes to Downton, the family decamp to “The Villa of Doves” in the South of France, inherited by the Dowager Countess Violet Crawley, from a former lover. The real-life property is on the Côte d’Azur, a playground for the rich and famous known for its beautiful coastline and perfect weather.
With its Belle Époque façade of elegant white columns, ornate plasterwork and graceful balconies, the villa presents a stylish Riviera backdrop to the Downton narrative.
Its grand hallway, with its archetypal marble staircase, exudes luxury and comfort, whilst its exquisite en-suite bedrooms offer spectacular views of the sea and gardens. There is also a gym, pétanque court, hot tub and yoga deck, while Hyères airport is just a 15km-drive away.
Set in three hectares of landscaped parkland with a stunning pool and path leading down to a rocky cove, Rocabella would have seemed to offer a much more relaxed lifestyle than Downton – complete with full-service alfresco dining.
The luxurious resort of St Tropez is just an hour’s drive away, as well as the thrills of Cannes beyond, so there would have been ample opportunity for the family to meet with fellow high society.
The good news is that cinema fans looking to enjoy a slice of Downton Riviera luxury can rent the whole villa out – if you happen to have £42,000 ($52,000) to spare. The property can accommodate up to 42 residents for individual stays, weddings and private parties through Oliver’s Travels. The house has also featured in films like A Perfect Man, The Summer House and The Man Who Sold His Skin.
Due to the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic and travel at the time of filming, many of the outdoor scenes at Lady Grantham’s French villa were shot at Wrest Park estate in Buckingham. Nestled in its 90-acres of gardens and woodlands are some hidden gems, including a marble fountain and the Archer Pavilion – designed by Thomas Archer – which is one of the most spectacular garden buildings of the English Baroque period.
The stunning Grade I-listed country house in Silsoe is a unique example of English architecture, following the style of an 18th-century French chateau, making it a good stand-in for Rocabella. Home to the aristocratic de Greys family for over 600 years, it was used as a military hospital during the First World, before falling into ruin after a fire in 1916. It was taken over by English Heritage in 2006.
The main focus of filming was the Orangery, which acts as a backdrop for a big party sequence in the film. "We looked at using some of the house, because it’s got this French feel to it, but it’s so big – bigger than Highclere," commented location manager Mark Ellis. “The orangery was always in the plan because it’s so beautiful. You wouldn't even twig that it’s not in Rocabella."
Wrest Park has long been popular with film crews looking for a location with a French feel. The Serpent used the grounds for many of the Paris café scenes, whilst the lavish interiors doubled up as a Parisian hotel. Other productions that have filmed here include the BBC mini-series Belgravia (from the makers of Downton Abbey, who filmed the chapel scene here), Flyboys and The Death of Stalin.
Romance is in the air when the Crawleys’ widower son-in-law Tom Branson, played by Irish actor Allen Leech, ties the knot with maid Lucy Smith (Tuppence Middleton) in a joyous society wedding.
The fictional couple wed at real-life 13th-century St Mary’s Church, which is located on the estate of Belchamp Hall, a historic country pile in Belchamp Walter, set in 1,500 acres of stunning Suffolk countryside.
The grounds of the Grade II-listed hall were transformed back in time to the 1920s, with scores of actors and extras in period costume and marquees festooned with colourful bunting as a backdrop for the happy couple's reception. But this isn’t the first time it has been used as a filming location. Belchamp Hall has featured many times as the fictional Felsham Hall in the old BBC series Lovejoy, starring Ian McShane.
The Queen Anne red brick building with its front nine bays wide was bought by the first John Raymond in 1611, and has stayed in the same family ever since. It boasts interior wooden panelling from the Jacobean era and original portraits by the artist Thomas Gainsborough, who was born in the area and was the most dominant British portraitist of the second half of the 18th century.
The property has four holiday homes to rent on the estate through Idyllic Suffolk, including the renovated two-bedroom Coach House (above) and historic stables, set within the impressive grounds of Belchamp Hall. The estate offers special tours of the house with its trove of treasures, including relics captured from the battle against the Spanish Armada and an organ gifted to the family by famous 18th-century composer George Frideric Handel.
The moviemakers really pushed the boat out when it came to filming the Crawleys’ cross-Channel voyage to France en route to Villa Rocabella, securing use of the Royal Yacht Britannia, which is now permanently berthed in Leith, Edinburgh. The Queen is said to have adored her royal tours and holidays onboard the vessel and was seen shedding a tear at its decommissioning ceremony in Portsmouth in 1997.
Britannia is now an award-winning five-star visitor attraction, where tour highlights include The Queen’s Bedroom – the only place you can see the bedroom of a living monarch – the State Drawing Room and The Royal Dining Room, which was used during filming for costume and make-up. During 44 years of Royal service, Britannia sailed the equivalent of once around the world each year, calling at over 600 ports in 135 countries.
Several of the farm scenes in the first half of the movie were shot at Cogges Manor Farm in Witney, Oxfordshire; in particular, the manor kitchen and Victorian bedrooms, were transformed into Yew Tree Farm, which also featured in three seasons of the popular television series. The association with Downton has attracted many visitors to the farm and Cogges now offers a Downton tour and display in the Manor House.
Beyond Downton, there is a lot going on at this unique historic farm with its beautiful Manor House, enchanting walled garden, orchard and 17 acres of open space. There are regular theatre productions, animals, adventure play for the kids and a café in the old milking parlour. It has also been featured in many other productions, including the Keira Knightly film Colette, period drama Harlots and an ad for Coca Cola Zero.
In the movie, the grand Electric Palace Cinema in Harwich stands in for a 1920s picture house in Yorkshire, where the silent film that’s been shot at Downton is being premiered. Lady Mary, driving a vintage Lagonda and escorted by Hollywood director Jack Barber (played by Hugh Dancy) soon discovers, however, that the crowd are more interested in “talkies”.
Before Downton stepped in, the 183-seat ornate cinema, which opened its doors in 1911, was facing closure, due to a lack of funding needed to make essential repairs to the roof. The location team had been looking at old cinemas around the country before they found the Electric. “Once we saw the inside of the cinema, we knew we had to use it. It’s absolutely breathtaking,” commented location manager, Mark Ellis.
Loved this? Follow us on Facebook to see inside more amazing stately homes