A House with a History

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A house with a history 1 Imagine living in a huge house, a house so big that you don’t know how many rooms it has! Lady Carnarvon, owner of Highclere Castle, is not sure about the number of rooms, but she does know that Highclere is one of the biggest houses in England. From the outside, the castle looks like the Houses of Parliament in London. In fact, the same person, Sir Charles Barry, built both places. In the nineteenth century, many wealthy people decided to show off and built massive houses, and the Carnarvons did the same. When Barry finished building Highclere in 1842, the castle had more than fifty rooms, including one room with a fifteen-metre-high ceiling! But this room was only used on special occasions. Today, Highclere is one of the most expensive houses in Britain, worth more than 150 million pounds. 2 Country houses like Highclere sometimes had hundreds of servants. These servants got up before their employers and carried on working after their employers were in bed. They lived in rooms in the basement or attic and used a insight Pre-Intermediate Student’s Book Unit 4 pp.48–49 © Oxford University Press 2014 1 small staircase at the back of the house. They went up and down the stairs all day, cleaning or carrying water, meals or coal for the fires. The work tired the servants out, but they managed to do it. Rooms for the family upstairs were more comfortable, although family life was very different then. Children didn’t spend much time with their parents – they grew up in a separate part of the house and a nanny looked after them. You can still see the family rooms and servants’ rooms at Highclere today and find out more about everyday life. 3 Do you want to learn about ancient Egypt? Visit Highclere and find out about its famous Egyptian connection. In1 922, the fifth Earl of Carnarvon and the archaeologist Howard Carter opened the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings. Unfortunately, a few weeks later, Lord Carnarvon died from a mosquito bite. Many people thought that the Pharaoh’s curse brought about his death. Today, you can read about his discovery in the castle’s Egyptian exhibition and make up your own mind! 4 Nowadays, Highclere is one of the most well-known homes in Britain, but it’s not because of its interesting past or its Egyptian treasures. Highclere is also the star of a British TV show called Downton Abbey. The show is all about the life of a wealthy family in the 1910s and more than ten million viewers enjoy watching it every week. Fans love coming to Highclere and many hope to see their favourite actors, too! 5 Open from May to September, 7 days a week, from 10.30 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. Tickets: £9.50 child, £16.50 adult Visit: www.highclerecastle.co.uk A002000 insight Pre-Intermediate Student’s Book Unit 4 pp.48–49 © Oxford University Press 2014 2.

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