THE REAL DOWNTON ABBEY: Inside Highclere Castle

In the second part of our look behind the scenes at 'the real Downton Abbey', we take a tour of Highclere Castle near Newbury, where the series is filmed.

Part Two - A look inside Highclere Castle

Crunching up the gravel driveway towards Highclere Castle, it's easy to see why Julian Fellowes had it in mind as the setting for Downton Abbey.

There has been a house on the land for centuries, but the current building was remodelled in the 19th century by Sir Charles Barry, the architect behind the Houses of Parliament. The grand similarities are immediately obvious.

So we had to smile when we found ourselves following the wagging tail of Bella the Highclere dog up towards the famous castle...just like the famous Labrador's bum in Downton's opening credits.

We were greeted outside – just like we were guests at Downton – and led through the famous front door and into the library. Instantly recognisable from the series, it felt like we'd stepped into the TV. Well, except for the fact we were surrounded by European journalists rather than the 1920s aristocracy. But being served tea there in a proper cup and saucer (like proper ladies!) definitely made up for that.

There are more than 5,650 books in the library, some of which date back to the 16th century, and it's one of the favourite rooms of the real Lady of Downton, the Countess of Carnarvon.

"It's a place where after supper we play charades or quiz games so it's a place of sitting down together," she explained.

Our tour guide Molly led us through the house, which is now owned by the Eighth Earl of Carnarvon, Geordie Herbert (the Queen's godson), and into the music room.

It's very glamorous, with silk wall coverings dating back to the 1800s, and painted ceilings. And in the corner is a desk and chair which belonged to Napoleon, and were bought by the family at auction.

Next, we went through into the drawing room, instantly recognisable from Downton because of its beautiful green walls, the paintings which hang on them, and the china on the mantelpiece. It would be easy to think you'd slipped into a scene from the drama were it not for the abundance of family photos everywhere – something we noticed a lot during our tour, which served as a poignant reminder that Highclere Castle is first and foremost a home.

Molly told us she has spent a fair bit of time in the drawing room changing the clock to fit in with the day's scenes, and that the lamps have to be removed because they're too modern, as indeed are the photographs.

But she praised the way the film crew puts everything back perfectly at the end of the day.

"You would not even know they've been here. They're amazing," she said.

We were led up a steep staircase in a back room and found ourselves on the first floor, where there are 11 bedrooms, quite a few of which are used in Downton.

There's the Stanhope Room (Lady Mary's bedroom in the early series') which is decorated a rich red, the way it was when the Prince of Wales paid a visit to the castle in 1895.

Then there's the Portico Chamber, which was Lady Sybil's room before she died shortly after giving birth.

We were also allowed to look inside Edith's room, the Arundel bedroom, which was used as an operating theatre during the First World War when Highclere Castle was turned into a military hospital. Sound familiar? That's because Downton became a convalescent home for wounded soldiers in series two.

What struck us again, while wandering around upstairs, were the constant reminders the house is very much lived in. There are novels doted around, copies of Country Life magazine on the tables, and even more family photos.

Despite this, it's hard not to feel like you're walking around the fictional Grantham family home, especially when we suddenly found ourselves at the top of that grand oak staircase which has played its part in some of Downton's most dramatic scenes. Amanda and I were so excited we weren't sure whether to descend them elegantly like ladies or slide down the banisters.

Of course, when it comes to gathering the Grantham family together in Downton, there's no better place than the dining room, and we were lucky enough to walk around there too.

The most impressive feature of the room without a doubt is a huge Anthony Van Dyck painting of Charles I – which can be seen in the background of the TV scenes – which is one of four in existence (the Queen also owns one).

It would have been nice to see where the Downton dinners are made, but the kitchen scenes don't take place at Highclere, they're filmed at an Ealing studio. Highclere's kitchen is used as a tea room.

We finished up in the saloon – the main hall in Downton, where the characters are greeted by Carson – which is often used as a wedding venue in real-life (celebrities who have married at Highclere include Peter Andre and Katie Price, but please don't let that put you off).

There we were met once again by Lady Carnarvon, who spoke more about life at the castle, and her future plans for it.

"There are always more rooms to do up," she said. "That's the fun bit. There's an ongoing programme here of refurbishment so in terms of the building structure there's always more to do. There are always more gardens to explore and create and take on and that's a huge pleasure for Geordie and I."

And while Downton takes up a large portion of the diary for the estate, it is by no means quiet in the castle when the filming stops.

"In between we have events and we are open to the public, there's a wedding or we do some big events for charity, for Great Ormond Street or Starlight, or I have a huge Easter egg hunt for the local children's hospice, so there's everything else going on as well," Lady Carnarvon explained.

"So it's just trying to juggle and not let too many balls drop."

But surely it must be strange to think thousands of people are getting to know your home inside out on a weekly basis?

"That's quite odd. Obviously thousands of people knew because they had come here. We've had thousands of visitors here for a long time," she said. "But the fact that Downton Abbey is shown on television means that millions of people are more familiar with the house. That is quite odd. The thing is I don't think I think about it that much because I can't really take it in."

Despite the open nature of the house, Lady Carnarvon praised the respect with which it is treated by the TV crews (there has only been one breakage in four whole seasons of filming, and it was on the very first day!).

"They understand that this could be in a museum, behind glass," she said.

"But I want people to feel it's a home."

Well I was convinced. And I could certainly imagine it being my home. Although I think I'll have to work on being a bit more ladylike first...

Read the third and final part of our The Real Downton Abbey series in this week's Advertiser and Express.

 Click here to read the first article, THE REAL DOWNTON ABBEY: Filming at Highclere Castle

Photos courtesy of Highclere Castle 2013