THE REAL DOWNTON ABBEY: History at Highclere Castle

In the third and final part of our look at 'the real Downton Abbey', we hear from the Countess of Carnarvon about history at Highclere Castle, and her new book.

Part Three: History at Highclere

'Sometimes the facts are even more extraordinary than the fiction,' the latest book by the Countess of Carnarvon promises. She's definitely not wrong.

Lady Catherine and the Real Downton Abbey tells the story of Highclere Castle from 1923, centered on Catherine, the sixth countess, and her husband Porchey, the Earl.

Much like the television show, it's a story of love, money, conflict, glamour and drama.

So what was life like at Highclere at that time?

The Countess, Lady Fiona Herbert – who lives in the castle with her husband Geordie, the eighth Earl of Carnarvon – gave us an insight when we met her earlier this month.

"Life in the 20s at Highclere was very glamorous, with lots of dancing and singing and lots of dinner parties," she said. "But the contra side to that was Geordie's grandparents, the sixth Earl and Countess [Porchey and Catherine], had to fight to save it because they had been saddled with huge death duties and weren't sure they could make it through."

She added: "Geordie's grandfather went to see his trustees who said 'don't bother, give up, sell up and go away. We can't pay it'. But he didn't, he fought through."

The book takes the castle, Lady Catherine, and her family, through into the 30s, the economic depression, the abdication of Edward VIII, and then against the backdrop of the Second World War, when it took on a new importance.

"Reading about that I just found it extraordinary. This country was at war in a way I hadn't understood in terms of how people had to live, how people's resources were nationalised," Lady Carnarvon said.

"It was an extraordinary thing to explore. There was the Women's Land Army, some of them came and worked here in the gardens. 80,000 worked in the Dig for Victory campaign, and there was a home guard here just like Dad's Army."

But as well as being struck by the war effort at Highclere, she was also taken by the glamour and the parties at the estate once the financial clouds had blown away.

"Here you were never served out of the same glass twice, so when you were having drinks or round the piano after supper the footmen would be bringing up more drinks and more Champagne, fresh glasses the whole time," she said. "No expense was spared once they cleared the death duties. There was royalty, statesmen. The visitors' book shows a wonderful fun house."

The Countess lights up when she talks about the castle and its past, and her passion for writing about it is evident. But what's it like for her being a modern countess at Highclere?

"I think my husband and I work very hard today in a perhaps more hands on way than his forebears," Lady Carnarvon said. "There's much more day-to-day involvement for me in more aspects of the house. Catherine would have been involved in the staff and the running of the house, just as Elizabeth McGovern, Cora Grantham, is portrayed in Downton Abbey. I think today there's a lot more detailed work on the financial side for my husband and for me with the refurbishment of the building."

She added: "Having said that the concerns are the same. How happy people are, whether they're all working together, whether the teams are working in the house, whether the gardeners are interacting properly with house staff, if someone's got upset, why did that happen, so all that is the same, but that's like any business."

The book is Lady Carnarvon's second, and follows the international bestseller Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey.

But it will be her last book in this particular thread - as moving on to the next generation would mean writing about her in-laws.

So what subject will she choose next?

"I'm then going to move on to food and entertaining at Highclere, so it's a bit of light relief for me. And we're very good at eating. It's clear that in the 20s and 30s there were some cracking dinner parties," she laughed.

"I'm hoping that the books I'm writing and how I'm sharing things like that is a fun way to tell people about what really happened here and get them to look at different histories, so I hope that's a positive thing to do."

History is, without a doubt, a big part of what makes Highclere unique among country houses.

It was the fifth Earl of Carnarvon who discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922, with his archaeological colleague Howard Carter, and in honour of this the castle's cellars play host to a permanent Egyptian Exhibition.

It can be enjoyed by the public and booked for school visits, and Lady Carnarvon told us a high percentage of visitors to the exhibition find it inspires them to visit Egypt.

This, combined with the stories uncovered by Lady Carnarvon, and those told on the small screen, make Highclere a must-visit - especially when it's just a short motorway drive away.

Lady Carnarvon added: "You may come here spurred by Downton but what's fantastic is people walk into the library, not knowing whether it's Hugh Bonneville or Lord Carnarvon, a thoroughly complicated muddle as they go through, and in the end both stories, both histories, both houses, and then the Egyptology, are regarded as one fantastic adventure for the day out for the family."

Visiting Highclere

The castle and grounds are now closed to the public, but generally open during the Easter and summer holidays, plus bank holidays and other times of the year for special events.

As well as touring the building and visiting the exhibition, you can also explore the gardens and woodland, try out the tearooms or have a look around the gift shop.

See www.highclerecastle.co.uk for opening times and prices.

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

Click here to read the second article, THE REAL DOWNTON ABBEY: Inside Highclere Castle

Photos courtesy of Highclere Castle 2013