Highclere Castle has been a big item on our bucket list for a number of years and in August 2024 we had the opportunity to tick it off. Why were we so eager to visit you may wonder? Well Highclere is actually the estate and home used in the popular TV show Downton Abbey, which we are huge fans of.
But don’t fear, even if you haven’t seen a single episode showing the escapades of the Crawley family, you will still enjoy visiting such a beautiful and historical site. For those of you who wish to trace the footsteps of your favourite characters in the show, then this is the perfect day out; just make sure you don your best attire in case you spot an Earl wandering about.
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The History of Highclere Castle
Highclere Castle is a Grade I listed home which was originally built in 1679 by Sir Robert Sawyer, but had undergone a large amount of renovation during 1840. The 5,000-acre estate was interestingly designed by the famous landscaper Capability Brown, and the house is styled with Jacobethan and Italianate architecture.
The land was originally granted to the Fitzwilliam family by the king and has since had a number of owners. During the 19th century the house was remodelled in the Jacobethan style, which reflected the Victorian revival of English architecture. The architect had been inspired by the Renaissance architecture of Italy and as such you will notice motifs of Italianate style, more noticeably in the towers.
Highclere is the country seat of the Earls of Carnarvon, with the 8th Earl and his family living within the castle. Previous Earls include George Herbet, the 5th Earl who was married to Almina Wombwell, the daughter of the bank heir Alfred de Rothschild. This same Earl who was an enthusiastic amateur Egyptologist, helped with the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun.
The house and family were pivotal in their support during both World War I and II. It was used as a hospital for war wounded in WWI and as a home for evacuee children in WWII.
During the 21st century the building was in need of major repairs, with water damage causing stonework to crumble and ceilings collapse. This led to the family living in a cottage in the grounds, because the estimated cost of repair was around 12 million pounds. Due to the fact that Highclere Castle was used as the main filming location of the ITV series Downton Abbey, which led to vast number of visitors to the castle. The family were able to repair the long-standing damage and move back into the main building throughout the year, only using the cottage when the castle is open to the public.
Buying Tickets to Visit Highclere Castle
We’ll start off by giving you advice we wish we had known, and that is to make sure you prebook your visit. We thought we could just turn up and attempted to visit a few years ago, to find out that it was closed. As we have mentioned above, Highclere is an attraction for visitors, but it is also a home for the Earl and his family. Because of this there are set opening times daily and even yearly, with the house only offering general admission to visitors between July and September. Their website states that there could be some walk-up tickets to buy at 9am only, but obviously you may get there, and they are sold out, so again better to prebook so you know you’re actually getting in.
Our advice is to check the Highclere Castle website to get exact seasonal dates, because these can change each year (it is current the 7th July to the 5th September in 2024). During the summer you can visit most days, with the exception of Friday and Saturday. There is a calendar on the website which makes it easier for you to work out when you can visit. Our advice is to do so as soon as possible, because they can book up fast and weeks in advance.
For the rest of the year there are special festivals and guided tours, but these are much more expensive than the ‘Summer Public Opening’ period. For example, currently the Springtime guided tours during March and April are £140, but this does include handmade refreshments and a signed copy of Lady Carnarvon’s book. From looking at the tickets section of the site there is pretty much something every month, but the majority of it is guided, so we will focus on the summer period within this guide. Unlike the summer opening times, you cannot attend a tour or any of the special events without a prebooked ticket.
There are two types of summer public opening tickets available for Highclere Castle and they are,
- Entrance to the Castle, Egyptian Exhibition and Gardens at £29.00 (August 2024)
- Castle and Gardens at £22.50 (August 2024)
Children’s tickets are available and family options, with under 4’s being able to visit for free.
Once you have chosen the type of ticket you want, then you will need to pick from one of the three admission times. Within this booked window you are able to access the castle, so our advice would be to head there at the start of your admission slot. This is important because Highclere can get incredibly busy, so they need to stagger who enters the building evenly throughout the day. These are the admission times.
- Morning Admission – between 10am and 12.30pm.
- Midday Admission – between 12.30pm and 2.30pm.
- Afternoon Admission – between 2.30pm and 3.45pm.
The last admission into Highclere Castle is 3.45pm and they will be strict on this, but you can still access the gardens, tearooms and gift shop throughout the day.
Your ticket will be sent to you by email once you have paid and confirmed the booking. It is important that you make sure you receive this confirmation. Before you visit, a copy of your ticket will be available within the account you created in the Highclere Castle website. You must print off a copy and bring it with you to enter the grounds, failure to do so could mean that you may not be admitted. To ensure the ticket is yours, you may also need to produce the debit card or credit card you used to purchase the tickets.
Getting to Highclere Castle
We visited Highclere during a road trip around the area and it was the perfect way to end our few days away. The address of the castle is,
Highclere Castle, Newbury, RG20 9RN.
Located about 1 hour and 45 minutes from London, 50 minutes from Oxford and an hour from Portsmouth, Highclere is found in the beautiful county of Hampshire. We stayed the night before in the Donnington Grove Hotel and Country Club in Newbury, which was ideal because it was only a 15-minute drive to the castle. Obviously, there are other forms of transport, but driving is by far the easiest. We’ll go through each option which is available to you, with an emphasis on travelling from London. Although we are aware that many of you will arrive from various parts of the United Kingdom.
By Car
Highclere is located extremely close, in fact a mere 10 minutes from the M4 motorway. Although we stayed in accommodation close to the castle, we had driven in from London the day before and it was a fairly easy route. As you can imagine the grounds are out in the sticks so you will need transportation to get there in whatever form. We have read that using Sat Nav will take you to the wrong entrance, so follow the brown tourist signs instead. The drive up was quite well sign posted, so we didn’t struggle to find the location.
By Bus or Taxi
We’ve done a bit of research into this option and supposedly there is a bus from Newbury to Bartletts Down Lane. But you will still need to walk from the bus stop to the entrance of Highclere, which is quite a distance. It’s not something we would recommend, mainly because you’ll already be tired before you’ve even reached there. It would probably be easier to take a taxi, but of course you’ll be paying a lot more with online quotes coming up at £15 each way. We have read that it’s a good idea to prebook any taxis you need, because there is no taxi rank by the train station, and you may struggle for internet signal in certain areas of Newbury. Remember this is a small town and won’t have all the amenities of larger towns and cities. The other option is Uber but again you may struggle to get a pickup, so it’s not something we would rely upon.
By Train
The closest train station to Highclere Castle is Newbury Railway Station, which is a small one and as such only offers access to specific locations. There is a direct train from London Paddington, but if you’re outside of London then you are more than likely going to have multiple changes. There are other stations in Hampshire such as Andover and Whitchurch, but they are further away from Highclere.
Day Tours
There are a number of day tours available, with many of them starting in London. They tend to include your transport there and back, and your admission ticket to the castle. We would recommend that you double check what’s included before you book. If you Google Highclere Castle tours, then we’re sure you’ll find something to suit.
Arriving and Parking at Highclere Castle
After you turn into the entrance, you’ll find a long winding road up to the visitor’s car park. This is very reminiscent of other stately buildings we have visited, but interestingly unlike the others, you won’t spot Highclere Castle until you reach the car park.
As we arrived at the car park we were directed by staff and shown where to park. The car park is basically a field, so we can imagine it will get muddy on rainy days. There is a designated area for blue badge disabled parking only, which is closer to the ticket booth. You’ll also spot coaches in another section not too far from the main car park. Thankfully parking is free and there isn’t a huge walk to the ticket area and entrance.
If you’re planning on walking the nearby public footpaths, then unfortunately you cannot access the car park. It is only available during the public opening dates, so the advice given is to park elsewhere off the estate.
As we arrived at the small ticket booth we were warmly welcomed by a member of staff and showed them our printed off ticket, which was scanned and then we were allowed through. This is the moment where you truly get to see an unobstructed view of the castle and we must say it was awe inspiring.
There is quite a walk up to the entrance, but its concreted so easy to walk on. Of course, this is the ideal moment to get those Instagram pictures and selfies. When you reach the entrance, you’ll see barriers up forming a queue, unfortunately when we arrived there were quite a few people waiting to enter the house. It was raining so we had to stand outside getting wet, so maybe bring an umbrella with you just in case. The queue did move quite quickly, and we didn’t find it too bad, even if we were a little wet.
As we reached the front of the queue a member of staff explained the process of visiting Highclere. Once we were inside the entrance area another member of staff gave us a brief history and told us that although we could take pictures of the grounds and gardens, we couldn’t not take any in the building. You will see multiple signs as you walk around stating the same and most rooms have a member of staff to ensure this is adhered to.
Visiting Highclere Castle Itself
Walking around the castle is self-guided and there are no audio guides, but you will find information sheets in each room. Because of how busy it gets; you may find some of the rooms are a little packed or you end up joining a queue to move into the next area. If you’re interested in any particular piece of furniture or décor then ask a member of staff, because they were quite well informed when we visited.
The first thing we noted was how much smaller the rooms looked in real life, than on Downton Abbey. You’ll find pictures dotted around each room of scenes in Downton, which were filmed in that location. But there are also lots of pictures of the current members of family and their descendants. Walking through feels quite homely, in comparison to many of the other stately homes we have visited.
We won’t go into detail about the entire house, because it defeats the purpose of you visiting. But we’ll outline a little of the rooms we saw and some of the exciting things to look out for. There is a one-way system which is easy to follow and takes you over the first two floors.
The first room you’ll walk into is the library, which has over 5,000 books including one by Ariosto which was written in the fifteenth century. You’ll then enter the smoking room, music room and drawing room, as you work around the bottom floor of the building. Make sure you look out for the desk and chair in the music room, which once belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte.
You’ll then head up stairs and wander through a number of bedrooms, which were used within Downton Abbey as the Crawley’s bedrooms. As you work your way around the upstairs, you’ll see the grand entrance hall below which is a sight to behold and you’ll head back down a beautiful wooden staircase which is hand carved and took almost a year to complete.
We then entered a final room which was a dining room, but it was a little crowded due to people queuing for the Egyptian Exhibition. If you have a ticket for the exhibition, then you can either wait to enter or leave the property and return once the queue has reduced a little. For those who don’t have tickets for the exhibition, then you can simply leave and head into the gardens. We chose to stay and make our way down into the exhibition, because the queue was moving pretty fast. Whether you are leaving the castle or heading into the exhibition, you will still have to walk down some steep steps which looked like they were once heading into the servant’s area and kitchens.
For those of you hoping to see the kitchens from Downtown Abbey, then sadly you’ll be disappointed. Those scenes were filmed in a studio, because the kitchen in the house is too modern for the era of the drama. Highclere Castle is required to keep up with certain health standards, so they had to modernise the kitchen.
Egyptian Exhibition at Highclere Castle
Because the exhibition is in the cellar area of the castle, it can be a little claustrophobic and difficult to wander about. It is also a little dark in areas, so watch your footing as you work through the one-way system.
The exhibition covers six rooms and is a mixture of artefacts collected by the 5th Earl during his time in Egypt, and replicas of items he is associated with finding. Plus, there are additional pieces which have been bought by the current Earl. Aswell as seeing the various pieces of pottery, jewellery and statues, there is lots of information about the 5th Earl and his journey to Egypt and the Valley of the Kings from 1906 onwards, which led to finding the tomb of Tutankhamun.
We found it an interesting addition to our day and enjoyed seeing so much ancient history in such a small area. It’s a must if you’re a fan of Egyptian history, even the replicas are quite impressive to see.
Highclere Castle Grounds
After leaving the basement area of the castle, we were glad to see the outdoors again. You leave the exhibition through a long corridor and walk out into a courtyard which holds most of the facilities. To the right is the small gift shop, to the left is the café/tea shop and just behind that you will find an outdoor eating area and the toilets.
We made the decision to begin heading around the castle grounds, which were designed by the renowned Capability Brown. We like to be honest with our readers, and for us the grounds in Highclere weren’t the most exciting, especially when you compare it to the likes of Blenheim Palace.
Related Guide – Guide to Blenheim Palace
One of the best things Highclere Castle has going for it, is the vast amount of open space you can wander around. There is 1,000 acres of spectacular parkland with huge cedar trees, some of which were imported in the 18th century. Most of the paths around the Castle are concreted or gravel, but the further out you go into the woodland areas you will find rougher grass paths.
There are six 18th century follies such as Jackdaw’s Castle, the Etruscan Temple and the Temple of Diana. We began our tour of the gardens by heading to the green houses and then going to wander through the Secret Garden. This walk went past the Bust of Charlemagne, through to the Rise Arbour and finally to the Etruscan Temple.
Within the Secret Garden you can see the Monks Garden, the White Border, the Wood of Goodwill, the Rose Arbour, the Wildflower Meadow and the Healing Herb Garden.
Jackdaws Castle is found towards the end of the East Lawn and interestingly is a Grade I listed building from 1743. It has Corinthian columns which were salvaged from Berkeley House in London.
Accessibility at Highclere Castle
For those of you with mobility difficulties or needing wheelchair access, getting around the house and grounds can be difficult. Sadly, some of the castle (mainly upstairs) is not accessible by wheelchair, but the staff are there to help advise you on what you can visit when you are there.
Motorised wheelchairs and scooters are allowed on the grounds but not inside the castle, but you may go inside with a manual wheelchair. The staff do have a few manual wheelchairs available to borrow, but it may be wise to contact them in advance to request one be kept aside for you.
There is step-free access on the ground floor and as such wheelchairs can see the majority of rooms. Because there is no elevator then you won’t be able to see the upstairs bedrooms, but they do have picture albums which you can look through.
The Egyptian exhibition is also accessible for wheelchairs, as are the other facilities around the castle. There are also disabled toilets close to the main courtyard. As we have mentioned above, most of the paths around the building are paved, which is easier for wheelchairs and anyone with mobility issues. It’s when you head towards the other sections of the gardens that you may struggle, mainly because they’re grass and gravel.
Our advice would be to contact Highclere Castle itself if you are unsure about anything, or if you have any questions. Everyone we met and spoke to who worked there, was incredibly lovely and helpful.
Facilities at Highclere Castle
Gift Shop
You’ll find a small shop within the courtyard at the back of the Castle. There isn’t a lot of room to move around, so if it’s busy then you may be better waiting and going back another time. The shop sells plenty of small bits of bobs for the home and kitchen. But you’ll also find the usual gift shops items, such as bookmarks with Highclere Castle on them. Of course, as you would expect there are items connected to Downton Abbey, which was the popular section of the shop.
Toilets
Close to the courtyard opposite from the café, you will find what looks like wooden huts, but they’re actually the toilets. We found them to be clean and tidy, with plenty of soap and toilet roll. They appeared to be the only ones within and around the castle, so it’s worth making sure you go before heading in to see the house.
Eating Areas
During our visit to Highclere Castle, we saw two eating areas. The first is an on-site café which has inside seating and some outside chairs and tables. The second was towards the side of the castle and was a huge marquee with chairs and tables both inside and outside. Both had hot and cold food options such as sandwiches, cakes, soups and salad.
During the summer public opening dates, the cafes or tea rooms are generally open from 9.30am, with lunch being offered from 12pm to 2pm and they close at 5pm.
If you fancy a treat then why not book a Picnic Afternoon Tea for two, which is currently £75.00 (August 2024 prices). It includes a selection of delicious cakes, scones and sandwiches with a half bottle of Joseph Perrier Champagne and tea or coffee, served in a beautiful box. You need to preorder the picnic before you arrive, but there is an option on their website.
The picnics can be eaten in the marquee, or you could bring along a blanket and sit on the lawn admiring the beautiful castle. Another option is the cream tea which is available in the Tea Room or cafe without a reservation.
How Much Time Do I Need to Visit Highclere Castle?
Our time within Highclere was about 3 hours, but depending on how long you spend in the castle and gardens, and if you decide to eat there, it could easily be much longer. Personally, we’d spend the bulk of the time within the castle and then use up the rest to explore the gardens.
Highclere Castle Tips – Things to Know Before Visiting
- The most important thing to consider before visiting Highclere, is how comfortable your footwear is. Not only will you be walking A LOT around the castle and grounds, but you will also be standing as you look around the rooms. Comfy shoes make a huge difference to your experience, but we’d also suggest wearing ones you don’t mind getting muddy, because the gardens can be messy if its rained.
- Bring a hat or umbrella, because depending on the weather you may be out in the sunshine a lot or in the rain.
- Our advice is to nip to the toilet before you go into the house. We didn’t notice any toilet facilities inside the building itself, so if you needed to go, you’d have to wait until the end and because it’s a one-way system it can get a little backed up on occasion.
- As you can imagine Highclere Castle is an incredibly busy attraction, especially because they only have public opening times for such a short period of the year. With the popularity of Downton Abbey, the number of visitors a year has only increased. So, our advice on how to beat the crowds is to prebook, but to make sure you book the earlier admission slot and get there as early as possible. Don’t get us wrong, it will still probably be busy, because there are only a set number of people allowed into the house, which leads to small queues outside the front. But the likelihood of this is reduced if you’re one of the first people to arrive.
- Dogs are not allowed on the estate, and by that we mean the castle and the gardens. The only exception to this is for accredited guide dogs.
- Another reminder that you are not allowed to take pictures within Highclere Castle or the Egyptian Exhibition, this also includes videography. You can take pictures in the gardens, but the use of drones is not allowed anywhere on the estate.
- Other items not allowed in the castle are strollers and pushchairs, but to be honest there is such little space you’d find it difficult manoeuvring them. They are allowed in the gardens though, so you can use them up until the front hall and leave them there.
- As you may have guessed there will be queues during your day, more specifically when you arrive at the Castle and through some of the rooms. But then you’ll queue waiting for the Egyptian Exhibition and possibly as you make your way through the small rooms.
- Large bags aren’t allowed within Highclere Castle and as such you will be asked to store them until you finish. Our advice is not to take too much with you, especially if you’re driving. The walk to the car park isn’t that far and it’s easier to simply walk over and grab items such as picnics from your vehicle, as and when you need them.
Staying Overnight at Highclere Castle in their Guest Lodges
Although you can’t stay over night in Highclere Castle itself, there are two guest lodges on the estate which are owned by the Carnarvon family. Both are small and bring a lot of history, but they have been remodelled and fitted with modern furnishings.
- The Grotto Lodge – This is a 200-year-old circular stone cottage which is on two floors and has 2 double bedrooms, a kitchen, lounge with wood burning fireplace and a private outdoor garden.
- The London Lodge – It was built in 1793 by the first Earl of Carnarvon, and you go through a stone archway which marks the original carriage entrance. There is a small cottage with a cozy sitting room, full kitchen, double bedroom and bathroom. You must walk outside to go between the two parts of the lodge.
Both Lodges are available to rent for two nights (London Lodge) or three nights (Grotto Lodge). Some basic shopping is also included for your arrival at either lodge, so that you can enjoy some coffee or tea, breakfast and fruit. Otherwise, they are self-catering.
If you choose to book either of the guest lodges at Highclere Castle, it’s worth noting that castle and garden admission is not included in the price, so you will need to purchase that separately.
Should I Visit Highclere Castle?
We’re huge fans of Downton Abbey so this felt like a dream come true, but weirdly when we arrived, we forgot about the TV show and simply enjoyed the castle for its history and décor. You will be reminded about Downton as you wander through the castle, with pictures being displayed from the show in most rooms. But we’re sure you’ll find that Highclere Castle is much more than that. How many castles are still owned and ran by families who live on the estate, that alone makes this place especially interesting.
If you fancy visiting during the summer public opening, then make sure you prebook and do it as early as possible. For those who fancy treating themselves, then there are plenty of guided tours dotted throughout the year. Yes, it’s an unusual way to run a business, but again it’s a family home and they seem to have found a nice balance which works.
The house itself is beautiful, especially the grand entrance hall with its dramatic staircase which you will have seen on Downton Abbey many times. We will admit that the café/tea shop wasn’t the greatest, it was very small and offered a tiny selection.
Again, as we have mentioned above, the gardens didn’t bowl us over either, but they were still pretty. It maybe that we’re used to grand water features and masses of flowery beds. The gardens at Highclere Castle have a modest amount of things to see in comparison, but its still worth your time wandering around, even if its to have the opportunity to see the castle at various angles.
It’s the outside of Highclere Castle itself which will have you in awe, with its spectacular design and architecture. If you’ve never watched Downton Abbey then don’t worry, it’s still an incredibly interesting place to visit.
Hopefully this guide has helped answer any questions you may have about visiting Highclere Castle. Make sure you tag us on Instagram if you end up going, we love to see what you’re up to as you tick off your bucket lists.