I ended up watching it for the first time because one of the places we were visiting on our Heritage trips was the setting for Downton Abbey, Highclere Castle. Caitlin and Libby, both of whom were already fans of the show, insisted that Amy and I watch at least the first episode before our trip. So, that Sunday night, we moved our living room chairs into Amy's spacious bedroom to view the program. Let me tell you, Downton Abbey is an addicting show. From the first episode onwards you are enthralled by the characters and the complexities of their lives. Amy likes to describe it as a "classy soap opera" because it has all of the crazy drama of a modern soap opera, but it involves the lives of an upper class British family in the early years of the 20th century.
The television drama follows the lives of the Crawley family, the wealthy, titled owners of Downton Abbey, and all of their various servants. The family consists of Lord Robert, Earl of Grantham, his American wife Cora, and their three daughters, Mary, Edith and Sybil. It documents their lives through various catastrophes ranging from new heirs and illicit romances, to murder trials and the devastation of World War I. Many of the problems arise from the machinations of the very traditional Dowager Countess and the ambitious footman, Thomas.
The best part of Downtown Abbey for me is the fashion. Since the series covers nearly a decade in two series, you can see how the style of dress evolved and changed as time passed. During this time period, the dresses worn by women of wealth and status were beautiful and incredibly intricate. Their wardrobes often contained clothing in rich fabrics like silk, chiffon, brocade.
In the first series, set in the early 1910s, the silhouette is more fitted. The women wear corsets, the foundation piece of their undergarments, allow their gowns to fall properly on their hourglass figures. Several of the evening dresses, particularly those worn by Edith, feature the high empire waists found in the earlier Regency period. However, fashionable waistlines were inching lower towards the natural waist. Fancy dresses often featured short, gossamer sleeves which bared the arms and portions of the shoulders. To balance out the amount of exposed skin, all of the women wear silk gloves that reach to the elbow or higher.
Wealthy women of the time would employ a ladies maid to look after their clothing, help them to dress and undress, to do their hair. The hair is always worn pinned up in intricate braids and curls, and often accented with bejeweled hair ornaments.
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| Edith, Cora, Mary and Sybil Crawley |
Highclere Castle which is the country seat of the Earl of Carnarvon. The most famous inhabitant was George Herbert, Fifth Earl of Carnarvon, who discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen with Howard Carter in 1922. During World War I the castle was used as a hospital for wounded soldiers when they returned from fighting the Germans in France.
The coach departed at around 9:15 am, after we met our driver John, who was also our driver for all the other trips. I found him to be very nice with a humorous, playful personality. He liked teasing us about being cold, insisting that the weather was beautiful for Britain.
Highclere Castle is situated in a rural area about an hour south of Oxford. Driving on the roads closer to the castle was an interesting experience because it was only wide enough for one vehicle at a time. If someone came from the opposite direction, one vehicle has to pull off the road into the grass to make room for the other car. The speed limit also seems to be much higher on smaller roads here than they would be on a similar road at home. It is a little nerve-wracking riding in a coach that is driving on the going 50 miles per hour up and down steep hills, all while driving on the left side of the road.
When we finally arrived at Highclere Castle and passed through the front gates, this was the sight that greeted us.
Highclere Castle is an immense building laid out in a roughly square shape around the large central hall that is open the the second floor. The interior is full of ornate historic furniture in exquisitely decorated rooms. My personal favorite was the Lady's Drawing Room, probably because it was decorated in a very feminine style that I find appealing. It was also interesting to see the juxtaposition of modern family photographs next to painted portraits that are over a century old.
After slowly inching from room to room (It took forever because it was easiest to proceed in a queue), we went down the servants staircase, passed the Egyptian exhibit and finally made our way outside to visit the Ladies (restroom to my fellow Americans). I waited outside snapping pictures while Amy, Caitlin and Libby ventured into the incredibly crowded gift shop to buy postcards. When Amy joined me a little while later, our first English rain began sprinkling from the clouds. My raincoat kept me dry and surprisingly warm since it protected me from the rain. Poor Amy only had her light jacket, and not even an umbrella.
The rest of our stay at Highclere Castle involved huddling under a tree in an attempt to stay dry, followed by lots of picture-taking in front of the castle. At about 11:45 am our stay at Highclere came to an end as we piled back onto the coach to eat lunch. Next stop, Stonehenge!
