Having been introduced to the Crawleys after the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, the family has entered the 1930s in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale. Now they have obstacles of a different nature to manoeuvre around: namely, Lady Mary’s (Michelle Dockery) divorce from Henry Talbot (Matthew Goode) which has made her a pariah in polite society.
In the franchise’s final hurray Downton Abbey – aka Highclere Castle – as well as many of the UK’s grand stately homes, brings the Crawleys’ story to a close. From Highlands’ castles to a 1000-year-old farmstead, these are the not-so-humble abodes you can visit once Downton’s doors close one last time.
Highclere Castle, Hampshire
Buckingham Palace aside, Highclere is arguably the most famous stately home in Britain. Since 2010 the Gothic Revival mansion, owned by Lord and Lady Carnarvon, has moonlighted as the Crawley family residence across Downton’s six seasons and three feature-length films. Visitors to the estate can walk in Lady Mary’s footsteps down the famous oak staircase and frolic in the 1000 acres of parkland designed by renowned 18th century gardener Capability Brown.
Helpful info: General admission tickets typically start from £25 per adult and include access to the castle and gardens.
Fun fact: The 5th Earl of Carnarvon was an avid Egyptologist and funded the expedition that located Tutankhamun’s tomb.
Basildon Park, Berkshire
Basildon Park played a key role in the 2013 Downton Christmas special. It doubled as Grantham House, the Crawleys’ London residence, where the family prepared for Lady Rose’s (Lily James) coming out party. The Hall, Dining Room, Drawing Room and the Octagon Room also feature in the new film. Until 14 September, fans of the franchise can also view six original costumes from ‘Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale’, including Lady Mary’s red dress from the Petersfield Ball.
Helpful info: General admission tickets typically start from £19 for adults. Free entry for National Trust members.
Fun fact: During World War I, Basildon Park was used as an army convalescent hospital. When World War II broke out, the house served as barracks, a training ground for tanks, and a POW camp.
Appeared in: Season 4 and Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
Claydon House, Buckinghamshire
Making its first appearance in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, Claydon House is the scene of one of the film’s key plot lines: Lady Mary’s divorce. Standing in as Petersfield House, the Crawleys attend a ball to mark the end of the London season in its saloon. It’s here Lady Mary descends the ‘singing staircase’ in a crimson halterneck dress, after being given the heave-ho because of her scandalous new status.
Helpful info: General admission tickets typically start from £11.00 per adult. Free entry for National Trust members.
Fun fact: The house has been occupied by the Verney family for over 550 years. Florence Nightingale often visited the property after her sister married Sir Harry Verney in 1858.
Appeared in: Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
Wrest Park, Bedfordshire
Due to Covid restrictions during the filming of Downton Abbey: A New Era, Wrest Park stood in for Lady Violet’s (Maggie Smith) opulent French chateau, Villa Rocabella, which she mysteriously inherited from the late Marquis de Montmirail (Jonathan Zaccaï). Thanks to its Baroque influences its orangery became the backdrop for the glamorous jazz party scenes.
Helpful info: General admission tickets typically start from £13.10 per adult. Free entry for English Heritage members
Fun fact: The 90-acre grounds have also featured in other period dramas, including Belgravia, Bridgerton, The Serpent and The Death of Stalin.
Appeared in: Downton Abbey: A New Era
Belchamp Hall, Suffolk
In the opening sequence of Downton Abbey: A New Era, lapsed Bolshevik Tom Branson (Allen Leech) marries Lucy Smith (Tuppence Middleton), the illegitimate daughter of Lady Maud Bagshaw (Imelda Staunton). The society wedding of the season, the nuptials take place at St Mary the Virgin Church, followed by a champagne reception in the gardens of Belchamp Hall.
Helpful info: The house is not open to the public on a daily basis, but offers occasional tours. There are also options to stay on the grounds at one of its four luxurious accommodations.
Fun fact: The estate was also used to film the BBC’s ’90s antiques drama Lovejoy.
Appeared in: Downton Abbey: A New Era
Inveraray Castle, Argyll
During the 2012 Christmas Special (yes, that one) the Crawleys head to Scotland to visit Lord and Lady Flintshire (Peter Egan/Phoebe Nicholls) at the fictional Duneagle Castle. Different parts of Inveraray Castle’s West Highlands estate take centre stage throughout the episode, with the family picnicking overlooking the Dhu Loch and State Dining Room and Armoury Hall being showcased during The Ghillies Ball.
Helpful info: General admission tickets typically start from £18.00 per adult. The castle and gardens are closed on Tuesday and Wednesday
Fun fact: Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited Inveraray Castle during their 1847 tour of Scotland. The monarch returned in 1875 with her daughter, Princess Louise.
Appeared in: Season 3
Alnwick Castle, Northumberland
Alnwick Castle doubled as Brancaster Castle, the home of Lord and Lady Sinderby (James Faulkner/Penny Downie) during the 2014 Christmas special when the Crawleys are invited on a shooting excursion. Filming took place across the grounds and in the State Rooms. In 2015 the crew returned for the final episode of Downton, this time with Brancaster under the ownership of Lady Edith’s (Laura Carmichael) fiancé Bertie Pelham (Harry Hadden-Paton).
Helpful info: General admission tickets typically start from £21.55 per adult. All tickets purchased online are automatic annual passes, valid for 12 months from your first visit, with unlimited re-visits
Fun fact: Alnwick was the backdrop for Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter films. The outer bailey is where Harry, Ron and Hermione had their first flying lesson
Appeared in: Seasons 5-6
Wentworth Woodhouse, Yorkshire
In the second Downton Abbey film, Wentworth Woodhouse becomes a filming location for a new silent film. Lady Mary later helps the cast and crew transition to ‘the talkies.’ The ball hosted for the King and Queen was also shot at Wentworth’s Marble Saloon. The estate is the largest private residence in the UK, boasts 87 acres of gardens and grounds and has the longest facade of any house in Europe.
Helpful info: House and garden tickets typically start from £15.50 per adult.
Fun fact: In 1912, ballerina Anna Pavlova danced for King George V and Queen Mary in the Marble Saloon during their royal tour of Yorkshire.
Appeared in: Downton Abbey: A New Era
West Wycombe Park, Buckinghamshire
The interior scenes of Lady Rosamund’s (Samantha Bond) London home at 35 Belgrave Square were filmed at West Wycombe Park, a Palladian and Neoclassical country house in Buckinghamshire. The Blue Drawing Room is where a lot of heartfelt chats take place, including one where Lady Edith tells her aunt she is pregnant with her married lover Michael Gregson’s (Charles Edwards) child.
Helpful info: General admission tickets typically start from £12.10 per adult.
Fun fact: The Italianate property was built by Sir Francis Dashwood, founder of the notorious Hellfire Club.
Appeared in: Seasons 3-6
Cogges Manor Farm, Oxfordshire
Yew Tree Farm is where the Drewe family raise Marigold (Eva and Karina Samms), Lady Edith’s illegitimate daughter, during season 4 and 5 before Edith takes the little one back into her care. By series 6 the farm belongs to Mr Mason (Paul Copley), and is where his father-daughter-like relationship with Daisy (Sophie McShera) continues to grow.
Helpful info: General admission tickets typically start from £10.50 per adult.
Fun fact: Cogges appears in the Domesday Book, with the earliest known owner of Cogges shown riding a horse on the Bayeux Tapestry.
Appeared in: Seasons 4-6