How much does Downton Abbey pay to use Highclere Castle?

In 2013, the New York Times wrote that it costs $1.5 million a year to run Highclere Castle. The Countess has done everything she can to make sure the estate continues to rake in that amount. With the help of Downton, they're on a steady course for being financially stable for years to come.

How much is Highclere Castle worth?

mortgage experts say Highclere is valued at about 72 million British pounds, — or about $95 million dollars.

Who owns Downton Abbey in real life?

Today, Highclere is home to George Herbert and his wife Fiona, the 8th Earl and Countess of Carnarvon (Lord and Lady Carnarvon), owners of the 'real' Downton Abbey house.

How much did it cost to run Downton Abbey?

The television show has brought worldwide fame to Highclere Castle (which Lady Carnarvon's husband's family has owned since the late 17th century), especially among what she calls “lots of lovely Americans.” But the house costs $1.5 million a year to run, and it has not received the windfall that viewers of the show ...

How much would it cost to run an estate like Downton Abbey?

Everyday repairs on your estate or castle will set you back another $100,000 a year or so. He said many clients spend $6 million to $8 million on renovations, though some spend much more. In the end, the total bill for keeping an estate is upwards of $1.5 million or more.

The Real Downton Abbey - The History of Highclere Castle

Who will inherit Highclere Castle?

His eldest son Lord Porchester will inherit the Highclere estate after the Earl's death. His second wife Fiona Carnarvon is a former accountant with Coopers & Lybrand and is the eldest of six sisters.

How much does it cost to get married at Highclere?

Weddings at Highclere begin at $25,000; the library seats 100 people for dinner, and afternoon tea can be served for 150.

How much does it take to run Highclere Castle?

According to a 2013 New York Times article, the castle alone costs $1.5 million to run every year, and that doesn't include any major renovations or repairs. Today, besides the family-branded gin and cigars, Lord and Lady Carnavon's most important business is hospitality on the Highclere estate itself.

How many servants did Highclere Castle have?

At the top stood the butler and housekeeper. Dowton Abbey, the series, highlights eleven servants who ran the household, but in 1912, Highclere Castle, where the exterior and interior shots were filmed, used the services of 25 maids, 14 footmen, and three chefs.

How large is Highclere Castle estate?

Highclere Castle, stately home in Hampshire, England, owned by the earls of Carnarvon. The castle has more than 200 rooms and stands on a tract of about 1,060 acres (430 hectares). It gained fame as the setting for the television series Downton Abbey (2010–15).

Does Highclere Castle still have servants?

The jobs of many of the 1920s staff at Highclere castle, which serves as Downton Abbey in the show and film, still exist today, albeit in more modern forms.

Does Lord Grantham have an illegitimate son?

She knows that Thomas is the illegitimate son of O'Brien and Lord Grantham – and the rightful heir to the house.

How many bedrooms does Highclere Castle have?

Highclere Castle sits on an estate that totals 6,000 acres. The castle covers 30,000 square feet and has a total of 300 rooms, with approximately 61 of these being bedrooms on the upper floors. Approximately 50 of those rooms were uninhabitable as of 2009.

How does Downton Abbey make money?

The Estate as Business Venture – In Life and in Death

Downton Abbey is a vast English estate with parcels of land and buildings it rents to farmers. For 2 decades, Downton has been funded in large part by Lady Grantham's American inheritance.

How much money did the Crawleys have in Downton Abbey?

According to the publication, if the Crawleys' property were real, it would be worth more than $179 million. If someone were to mortgage the property, after the standard 10% down, they'd be shelling out more than $500,000 per month for 25 years.

Do estates like Downton Abbey still exist?

Downton Abbey was stuffed with staff such as Mr Carson and Mrs Patmore, but, today, our estates employ far fewer people who perform multiple roles. Rupert Clark of Savills offers support and advice to estate owners, including the Carnarvon family at Highclere Castle, the primary location for Downton Abbey.

How much did a footman get paid?

His salary was around 30 pounds ($3,200) a year. Many footman's salaries were based one how tall they were rather than how well they did their work. The taller and more impressive they were the more they received.

Did Downton Abbey have toilets?

So the lavatories of even the really grand country houses were as nasty and as uncomfortable as was humanly possibly. Non-absorbant toilet tissue was available, but you were just as likely to get torn up bits of newspaper. Yes, even for the bottom of the Dowager Duchess of Grantham.

Why doesn't Lady Edith have a maid?

Maybe Edith's lady's maid is new and she doesn't quite trust her to do her best when she's going to be seeing the King and Queen. So Edith gave her lady's maid time off for the duration of Edith's trip to Downton.

Is there a cafe at Highclere Castle?

Tearooms and Cafes

(Vegetarian and non-vegetarian). We also offer a wide variety of coffees, tea and soft drinks as well as a cocktail bar for memorable Highclere Castle Gin cocktails, wines and champagne.

Who has got married at Highclere Castle?

Lacey and Aaron hosted their wedding day at Highclere Castle, the real-life version of Downton Abbey. An Iron Age Hill Fort dominates the landscapes at Highclere and an early Anglo-Saxon charter suggests people have lived here for some 1300 years.

Can you get married at Highclere?

The Saloon is the room which is licensed for the civil marriage ceremony. Highclere Castle is a perfect setting for the smaller more intimate wedding, whether for just the bridal couple or for a gathering of up to 40 close family and friends.

Did Lord Carnarvon make money from tomb?

They searched for Tutankhamun's tomb, in the hot dusty Valley of the Kings, for five years without finding anything. Lord Carnarvon ended up paying a lot of money to find the tomb.

How much would it cost to build Highclere Castle today?

The estate that the Crawley clan calls home is the real-life Highclere Castle, and is estimated to be worth $400 million, according to Movoto LLC. One estimate found it would cost more than $8.3 million annually to pay for life at Downton Abbey.

Are Lord and Lady Carnarvon divorced?

Wilby and Princess Prospero Colonna di Stigliano (née Frances Loftus). They had two children before divorcing in 1998: Lady Saoirse Herbert (born 2 June 1991) George Kenneth Oliver Molyneux Herbert, Lord Porchester (born 13 October 1992), the heir to the titles.