Highclere Castle

Highclere Castle /ˈhaɪklɪər/ is a country house in the Jacobethan style, with a park designed by Capability Brown. The 5,000-acre (2,000 ha) estate is in Hampshire, England, United Kingdom, about 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Newbury, Berkshire. It is the county seat of the Earl of Carnarvon, a branch of the Anglo-Welsh Herbert family.

Highclere Castle is the main filming location for the British television period drama Downton Abbey. It was also a filming location for the British comedy series Jeeves and Wooster with Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. The castle and gardens are open to the public during July and August and at times during the rest of the year.

History

Early years

The castle stands on the site of an earlier house, which was built on the foundations of the medieval palace of the Bishops of Winchester, who owned this estate from the 8th century. The original site was recorded in the Domesday Book. Since 1679, the castle has been home to the Earls of Carnarvon.

In 1692, Robert Sawyer, a lawyer and college friend of Samuel Pepys, bequeathed a mansion at Highclere to his only daughter, Margaret, the first wife of the 8th Earl of Pembroke. Their second son, Robert Sawyer Herbert, inherited Highclere, began its portrait collection and created the garden temples. His nephew and heir Henry Herbert was created Baron Porchester and later Earl of Carnarvon by George III.

Highclere

Coordinates: 51°20′42″N 1°22′19″W / 51.344935°N 1.371955°W / 51.344935; -1.371955

Highclere (pronounced /ˈhaɪklɪər/) is a village and civil parish situated in the North Wessex Downs (an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) in the Basingstoke and Deane district of Hampshire, England. It lies in the northern part of the county, near the Berkshire border. It is most famous for being the location of Highclere Castle, a noted Victorian house of the Earl of Carnarvon. It is the setting for numerous films and TV series, including Downton Abbey.

The parish church of St Michael and All Angels sits between Highclere Castle and the main part of the village. This 'new' church (1870s) replaced a much older church sited adjacent to Highclere Castle, and parish records go back to pre-Norman times. There is a pub, the Red House, a flourishing village hall and a private junior ('Prep') school, Thorngrove. The church parish is part of the North West Hampshire Benefice (with Ashmansworth, Crux Easton, East Woodhay and Woolton Hill). The civil parish of Highclere has two wards, Highclere and Penwood.

Highclere (horse)

Highclere (1971–1992) was a British thoroughbred racehorse owned by Queen Elizabeth II. In a racing career lasting from summer 1973 until October 1974 she ran eight times and won three races. Highclere won one minor race as a two-year-old but improved to win the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket Racecourse and Prix de Diane at Chantilly. She later finished second to Dahlia in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot. She retired at the end of the season to become a highly successful and influential broodmare.

Background

Highclere was a bay filly, bred in England by her owner, Queen Elizabeth II. She was sired by the Sussex Stakes winner Queen's Hussar, whose reputation as a stallion had previously rested almost entirely on the fact that he was the sire of Brigadier Gerard. Her dam Highlight won two minor races and was a daughter of Hypericum, who won the 1000 Guineas for King George VI in 1946. As a descendant of the broodmare Feola, Highclere came from the same branch of Thoroughbred family 2-f which produced Round Table, Pebbles and Aureole.

Highclere (disambiguation)

Highclere is a village and civil parish located in Hampshire, England.

Highclere may also refer to:

See also