Highclere Castle

Highclere Castle is a Grade I listed country house built in 1679 and largely renovated during the 1840s, with a park designed by Capability Brown in the 18th century. The 5,000-acre (2,000-hectare) estate is in Highclere, Hampshire, England, about five miles (eight kilometres) south of Newbury, Berkshire, and 9+1⁄2 miles (15 kilometres) north of Andover, Hampshire. The 19th-century renovation is in a Jacobethan and Italianate style produced by architect Charles Barry. It is the country seat of the Earls of Carnarvon, a branch of the Anglo-Welsh Herbert family.

Highclere Castle has been used as a filming location for several films and television series, including the 1990s comedy series Jeeves and Wooster. It achieved international fame as the main location for the ITV historical drama series Downton Abbey (2010–15) and the 2019, 2022 and 2025 films based on it.

The house, Egyptian exhibition, and gardens are open to the public for self-guided tours during the summer months and at other times during the rest of the year, such as Christmas and Easter. The house also holds ticketed events, such as the Battle Proms picnic concert, and special guided tours throughout the year.

Text adapted from “Highclere Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Highclere Castle ranks #280 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #24 of the 329 mapped in England. Founded 1679, it is older than 24% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 580 atlas entries founded in the 17th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 64,604 times in the last 60 days, more than 100% of the atlas. 4 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Basingstoke, 20 km away. See how England compares in the castle statistics.

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