Halls of History the Success of TV Series Such As Downton Abbey and the Crown Suggest That England’S Aristocracy Fascinate Us As Much As Ever Before
Stately homes
Halls of history The success of TV series such as Downton Abbey and The Crown suggest that England’s aristocracy fascinate us as much as ever before. You can get an even closer look at how the other half live in three magnifcent stately homes near London.
By EMMA HOLMQVIST DEACON
Live like a Lord or Lady at Cliveden House, if only for a weekend. Photo: Emma Holmqvist DeaconHolmqvist Emma Photo:
SEPTEMBER 2018 SCANDINAVIANTRAVELER.COM 103 Stately homes
Lord and Lady Carnarvon. HIGHCLERE CASTLE Highclere Park, Newbury Highclere castle, the “real highclerecastle.co.uk Downtown Abbey,” is undeniably atmospheric.
t’s difcult to imagine that the splendor of The Saloon, with its ‘Highclere is a stately we’re only a one-and-a-half 15 m-high vaulted ceiling. “Isn’t the home and with that comes I hours drive from London. intricacy of it quite incredible? And the associations of nostalgia Despite the grey skies, the panels over there – you may think they’re Hampshire scenery is postcard-pretty, tapestries, but they’re large-scale Italian and romance’ with dafodil-covered felds and excitable silk embroideries.” spring lambs. Suddenly it appears in front As we climb the sweeping staircase of us like a neo-gothic illusion – Highclere leading to the bedrooms, Privett tells me Castle, aka “The Real Downton Abbey.” that some fans of the TV series will linger This is where the hit TV series was for quite some time by the bedrooms of flmed. The real life residents are the 8th their favorite characters. But even non- Earl and Countess of Carnarvon. Downton fans will have plenty to marvel Lord and Lady Carnarvon have worked Our four-year old son runs ahead of us, at. The 5th Earl of Canarvon, was the co- hard to keep the castle running since tak- spellbound by the undeniable atmo- discoverer of Tutankhamun, and the ing over the reins in 2001. sphere of the place and excited to explore Egyptian exhibition on permanent dis- “Highclere is not only a castle with an the castle and the acres of greenery play holds several treasures. incredible past, it’s also a stately home surrounding it. Once inside the bosom of Privett glances at his watch – it’s time to and with that comes associations of this grand mansion – designed by Charles meet Lady Carnarvon for tea. I give up nostalgia and romance, as well as a sense Barry, the creator of the Houses of trying to fgure out our whereabouts as of courtesy and respect,” says Lady Car- Parliament – Jonah Privett, one of Lady we make labyrinthine progress through narvon. Carnarvon’s assistants, greets us and the castle. We fick through Lady Carnarvon’s takes us from one ostentatious room to Eventually we fnd ourselves in a bright 2017 book At Home at Highclere: the next. room with huge windows overlooking the Entertaining at the Real Downton Abbey, The collections within these historic parkland and gardens, which were which refects on historic and modern walls include nearly 6,000 antiquarian designed in the 18th century by the star ways of entertaining at the castle. I point books, some dating back to the 16th landscape gardener of the era, Capability out a photo of a golden retriever sitting century, and paintings by Van Dyck, Brown, and the 1st Earl of Carnarvon. proudly on a sofa. “That’s Alfe,” Lady Reynolds and Gainsborough. We’re Moments later, Lady Carnarvon Carnarvon informs me. “He loves being struck by the warmth and friendliness of breezes in, a friendly and energetic force photographed – he’s quite the poser.” the room attendants, who bring each dressed in a turquoise cardigan, with eyes Back at the car park there’s a ripple of room to life with anecdotes and details. almost as bright as her knit. In one sweep, excitement. We look up to see Lord and “That’s 17th century leatherwork from she invites me to take a seat, po urs me a Lady Carnarvon surrounded by more Spain you’re looking at,” says the cup of tea and hands me a slice of Victoria dogs than I can count. I think I recognize auburn-haired guide Christine as I take in Sponge (ah, the Englishness of it all!). Alfe “the poser” among them.
104 SCANDINAVIANTRAVELER.COM SEPTEMBER 2018 Stately homes Photo: Richard Bryant/Arcaid Richard Photo: Photo: Highclere Castle Highclere Photo:
CHISWICK HOUSE AND GARDENS Burlington Lane, Photo: Richard Bryant/Arcaid Richard Photo: Chiswick, London chiswickhouseand- Chiswick House is one of the most glorious examples of gardens.org.uk 18th-century British architecture.
CHISWICK HOUSE IS located in London’s creative ally of Lord Burlington, and the ‘Lord Burlington was western suburbs, close to the Thames. man behind the extensive landscaped cele brated as a cultural Each room in the neo -Palladian villa, gardens that surround the house and that designed in the 1720s by Richard Boyle, set in motion the English Landscape arbitrator in 18th-century 3rd Earl of Burlington, has a diferent Movement. London and saw it as his geometric shape. We’re about to explore Next, we step into the Upper Tribunal duty to educate the them all with curator Esmé Whittaker. with a soaring domed ceiling. “This public on design’ “Lord Burlington was celebrated as incredible space was used for gather- a cultural arbitrator in 18th cen tury ings,” says Whittaker, “Lord Burlington London and saw it as his duty to educate (who also owned Burlington House in the public on design,” says Whittaker. Piccadilly, which now houses The Royal Collaborating closely with many artists Academy of Arts) surrounded himself and designers, The “Architect Earl,” as he with a circle of artists and cultural fgures was popularly known, turned the house and they all loved coming here. into a temple of the arts. And he flled it “But the house’s reputation as a party with with some of the paintings and place should really be attributed to the objects that he brought back in 878 trunks Duchess of Devonshire, (played by Keira from his frst Grand Tour of Europe. Knightley in The Duchess) who threw In the frst light-flled room, our eyes lavish fêtes with musical entertainment are drawn to the painted ceiling, before and huge marquees in the garden.” resting on a pair of marble-top side The Duchess referred to Chiswick tables. I kneel down to get a closer look at House as “my earthly paradise.” Having the cherubs and winged sea-nymphs. explored the estate inside and out, we can These pieces are believed to have been see why. designed by William Kent, a close
106 SCANDINAVIANTRAVELER.COM SEPTEMBER 2018 Stately homes
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CLIVEDEN HOUSE Cliveden Rd, Photo: Emma Holmqvist Deacon Taplow, Berkshire clivedenhouse.co.uk
Other must-see stately homes HOLKHAM HALL 1 This magnificent 18th century THIS WAY Palladian Norfolk mansion is the Cliveden House in Berkshire TO LONDON seat of the Earls of Leicester. It is now a luxury hotel. It’s A round trip to London has a notable collection of origi- where Meghan Markle spent will earn you up to 2,000 nal furniture, tapestries and the night here before her points in SAS Go. paintings by the likes of Rubens, wedding to Prince Harry. Book at flysas.com Van Dyck and Gainsborough. holkham.co.uk
CHATSWORTH Home to the Duke and Duch- ess of Devonshire, Chatsworth is the grandest of the grand in the pantheon of England’s posh The gardens and grounds guided tours or take afternoon tea (or a palaces. It recently underwent a – all 376 acres of them – drink) in the Great Hall. This lofty space £32.7m restoration, and there’s typifes the grandeur of the place, with its always plenty to see and do. are also spectacular 16th century freplace, suits of 15th centu- chatsworth.org ry armor and 300-year-old tapestry. In the early 20th centurty, Cliveden HATFIELD HOUSE was the home of the Astors, who were Hatfield House is a 17th cen- famous for entertaining on a lavish scale. tury Jacobean mansion and THE APPROACH TO Cliveden House, deep Their diverse list of famous guests in- home of the 7th Marquess and in the beautiful Berkshire countryside, is cludes President Roosevelt, Charlie Marchioness of Salisbury and an event in itself, with its shell fountain Chaplin, Winston Churchill and play- their family. There are several and long parade of lime trees. wright George Bernard Shaw. In May this green spaces and a farm to Originally built in 1666 for the 2nd year, Meghan Markle spent the night here explore for children. Duke of Buckingham, the house has been before her wedding to Prince Harry. hatfield-house.co.uk destroyed by fre twice, so the imposing The gardens and grounds – all 376 building we’re looking at is, like acres of them – are also spectacular. And HAMPTON COURT PALACE Highclere, the work of renowned the youngest adventurer on our team is Henry VIII’s spectacular Victorian architect Charles Barry. particularly interested in the maze and former home today serves as an Most stately homes have seen their fair the Storybook Play Den. He needs quite a excellent educational hub, share of drama, but Cliveden was the bit of convincing before agreeing to join putting on historic cooking setting for one of England’s most us on a walk along the steep woodland courses and other events that infamous 20th Century events. trails down to The River Thames (the less spotlight life in Tudor England. The Profumo Afair started when the rugged Yew Tree Walk, with its 172 clif- hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace British Secretary of State for War met a side steps, will also take you there – it’s 19-year-old model in 1961 at a party one of Cliveden’s many historic features.) LONGLEAT during which she swam naked in the Between the trees, its surface strangely The 16th century seat of the Cliveden House pool. They began a sex- still, we spot River Thames. We’re in an Marquesses of Bath is better ual relationship which was deemed a sec- enchanted forest, all alone. Some parts of known for its drive-through safari urity risk when it was alleged she was also the Cliveden estate can get busy, but park, in which you’ll come across seeing a Russian spy. It is still widely down here, it’s just the trees and us. a menagerie of animals including regarded as the biggest scandal of its kind We take turns in piggy-backing our son lions and rhesus macaques who in British political history and was drama- up the steep ascent and, as the ornate will almost definitely hitch a lift on tized in the 1989 movie Scandal. clock tower chimes 4pm, we feel like your car! A particularly child- The house is now a very luxurious we’ve earned our tea. friendly option. hotel, but you can visit some rooms on longleat.co.uk
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