Highclere Castle: The Home of the 8th Earl & Countess of Carnarvon

by George Herbert

Profusely llustrated history and guide book of Highclere Castle, UK.
The castle acheived international fame when featured on the 2010 TV series "Downton Abbey"

Genres: History, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

George Reginald Oliver Molyneux Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon (born 10 November 1956), styled Lord Porchester from 1987 to 2001, is a British peer and arable farmer.

His family seat, Highclere Castle, has achieved notability as the primary filming location for the television series Downton Abbey. Carnarvon and his family live in part of the house, while the rest is used as a venue for hire and is also open to the public much of the summer and some dates during other months.

Reviews

[Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic house and great momento

[Jdetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This contains some gorgeous pictures of Highclere Castle, which is nice since you can't take pictures inside of the castle itself. I found the book to be not very well organized, jumping back and forth in time and requiring the reader to remember a lot of Earls of Carnavon. Still, it's worth it for the images of the gorgeous castle.

[John Peel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated guide to the stately home best known from "Downton Abbey". Nicely written, informative and entertaining.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

** 2.5 stars **

Visiting Highclere Castle was one of the highlights of a month long tour of the UK I took in 2018. The house and grounds are absolutely amazing and walking into the house almost took my breath away! I wish this book had been better however.

While there was great information, there could have been so much more included and explained. Random people were mentioned in the text...with essentially no information about who they were or how they were connected to the house - why not explain more so a true story of the house could be discovered? The pictured artwork had detailed information about the painters, but minimal information about the people *in* the pictures. It especially drove me nuts that the artists dates of birth and death were listed, but the subjects were not. Simple information that should have been added.

The layout could use significant improvement and the text should be more descriptive. While I appreciate that the Countess wrote the book herself, I think she should seek out assistance from writers experienced in informational text and guide books - it would greatly improve the book and engage readers even more.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have the good fortune to go to Highclere Castle, this is a great book to get before going. There are so many wonderful treasures in HC and this book highlights the art, furnishings, architecture, and gorgeous grounds of the beautiful estate. I wish I had read this before I went just have slowed down and noticed some of the amazing things in the castle. It was an overwhelming yet very informative tour, but this book would be an asset before touring the castle and gardens.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really nice memory of my first and only visit to Highclere so far! The book actually informs you of areas of the house you do not get to visit. I really enjoyed reading about the former staff in particular, there are some great photographs in this book.

[Scott Fuchs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential to those interested in the 'Stately Homes of England'.

[Kelly Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish this guide had provided information regarding the filming of Downton Abbey at the castle.

[Libby Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, historical, fascinating. I could pinpoint many of the characters from Downton Abbey in the real-life story. I would definitely recommend reading this one.