Highclere Castle Floor Plan: The Real Downton Abbey

As viewers of Downton Abbey, we have gotten to know Highclere Castle, its setting, well.Sir Barry remodelled Highclere Castle for the third earl of Carnarvon from 1839 to 1842. The architect had just finished building the Houses of Parliament. The house once looked quite different and was Georgian in feature. Extensive renovations were made during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. In the mid-19th century, Henry, the 3rd earl of Carnarvon, transformed the house into a grand mansion. (Note: New material added)

Sir Charles Barry’s renovation was in the “High Elizabethan” style. The building was faced in Bath stone.

Architectural design for the tower of Downton Abbey by Sir Charles Barry, 1842. Image@Christie's

The BBC said about Barry’s Houses of Parliament:

A good example of the period’s confused love affair with the past, it was summed up earlier this century as classic in inspiration, Gothic in detailing, and carried out with scrupulous adherence to the architectural detail of the Tudor period. – BBC, A British History of Architecture

This description can easily be applied to Highclere Castle with its whimsical look back to Tudor times.

The term “Jacobethan” refers to the Victorian revival of English architecture of the late 16th century and early 17th century, when Tudor architecture was being challenged by newly arrived Renaissance influences. During the 19th century there was a huge Renaissance revival movement, of which Sir Charles Barry was a great exponent – Barry described the style of Highclere as “Anglo-Italian”.^{[3] - Wikipedia}

The front door

Mary welcomes Sir Richard at the front door.

Many visitors come to this blog looking for a floor plan of Highclere Castle. This one depicted below sits on the Highclere Castle website and is a bit hard to read. Not all the rooms are currently in use, and a number, such as the music room, are available to be rented as conference rooms.

In the television series, the servant quarters and kitchens were not filmed at the Castle, but were constructed at Ealing studios in West London.

Highclere Castle first floor plan

The great hall was converted into a dining mess for convalescing soldiers in the second season.

Passage above saloon leading to the bedrooms

Saloon from gallery above. The room was designed by Thomas Allom and completed in the 1860s.

The staircase, also designed by Thomas Allom, sits in the tower designed by Charles Barry.

Music room

These days the music room is available as a conference room.*

The library holds over 5,000 books.

Desk in Highclere's library

The library is unusual in that it consists of a two part room. The opening between the two areas is featured by columns. This room is also available to rent as a conference room.*

The drawing room was designed by Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon, in the "rococo revival" style .

This view of the drawing room shows the green French silk curtains.

Much drama is centered in the dining room. The actors often took days to film a scene, and it was quite a feat to keep the food looking fresh and to maintain continuity in both the drinking glasses and on the plates. Read Downton Abbey: Dining in Splendor for more information.

Formal dinner.

Image @Conferences UK

More on the topic:

• The Jane Austen Connection to Downton Abbey and Egypt
• Highclere Castle History
• Floor Plan, Highclere Castle
• The State Rooms of Highclere Castle
• Ordnance Survey: Highclere Castle
• Can Highclere Castle be Saved? 
• *Conference room plans for Highclere Castle
• Downton Abbey’s Stunning Film Locations
• The Real Downton Abbey
• Perspective of a garden by Sir Charles Barry
• Highclere Castle: The Making of Downton Abbey
• Meet the Architect Sir Charles Barry
• British listed buildings: Highclere Castle, includes detailed description of the exterior of the house
• Kingham Farm, East Woodhay, Historical Ownership, Highclere Estate, p. 90