Grab your finery because we’re headed to the real-life Downton Abbey. The Masterpiece Productions show that pulled us into a Village Flower Show sub-plot and made us wonder what really happened to the wealthy relatives of those who perished on the Titanic is coming back as a feature-length film. And to honour the return of the Crowley’s, Highclere Castle, where the show was filmed, is now bookable on Airbnb.
Starting October 1st, reservations to book the 17th-century castle will open for the night of November 26th. The castle is in Newbury, a town 50 miles outside of London, and for just £150 a night, you can stay at the Earl and Countess of Carnavron’s estate with the hosts themselves.
Plan your wardrobe and shop accordingly because a stay in this sprawling 100,000 square foot and 300-room estate will be packed with glamorous leisure. You’ll need something to wear for your lavish breakfast, something to oooh and aaah in as you tour the grounds, and something to wear for evening cocktails in the saloon. Later on, you’ll have butler-serviced dinner in the dining room with the Earl and Countess of Grantham, I mean, Carnarvon. Post-dinner coffee will be served in the library before you retire to your gallery bedroom with an en-suite bathroom overlooking 1,000 acres of shire.
This is a chance to immerse yourself in the fading world of Downton Abbey’s characters and to co-mingle with their 21st-century counterparts. No guarantees that you will stumble on scalding hot tea of the gossipy kind, but I’m sure that an afternoon spent with a cuppa in the library will do just fine.