Downton seemed to be full of action last Sunday. Different threads of the story and characters were exploring potential relationships whether old or young. The 1920’s seemed in retrospect an era of glamour and daring, un-chaperoned parties, treasure hunts in cars, exciting meetings in smoky nightclubs, and of course opportunities for flirtations and liaisons at weekend house parties.
The visitors’ bedrooms around the gallery at Highclere have a series of inter-connecting doors. Whilst the Downton actors come in and out of our rooms onto the gallery landing in “Downton” there would in fact have really been no such need in real life. You may remember in Season 1, Lady Mary got herself in a bit of a tricky situation with the very handsome Mr. Pamuk, well if that had been real life, it wouldn’t have been such a dramatic evening as she would have been able to use the inter-connecting door!
I found it fascinating researching Highclere’s visitors’ books from the 1920’s and 1930’s. The entries began to paint a story which helped me understand and try to share the stories and relationships in Catherine’s time – the 6th Countess – who lived here at Highclere during those years. I could spot the mistresses, or daring young girls, and wonder now how on earth Catherine allocated bedrooms.
Fascinating people of the time stayed here, from Prince George, (later the Duke of Kent), to Miss Poppy Baring, and the Duke of Marlborough who stayed firstly with his wife, the heiress, Consuelo Vanderbilt and later with his second wife the beautiful Gladys Deacon. The politician Alfred Duff Cooper and Lady Diana Cooper stayed, as well as handsome racehorse trainers (renowned for their charm), Malcom Sargeant, Prince Ali Khan, producers from Hollywood and actresses of the time.
In 1939 Randolph Churchill stayed here with Pamela Digby (later Harriman) and then married a couple of weeks later. Monica Sheriff stayed with her close friend Elvira de la Fuenta, a double agent, during the Second World War. The stories they must have told over a game of bridge. Women often seemed to stay on their own -sans husband – unlike pre-1914. Reading their biographies, many of the guests married several times over although the world of divorce settlements was not evident.
Today the interconnecting doors have a rather more practical purpose as my sisters’ children sleep in various dressing rooms, next to their parents and tag is played by those 5 years and under until Nanny intervenes.
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Wow this is a great thing to have in your home Lady Carnarvon, Just think if all the rooms could talk I would love to hear what they have to say about all those famous people who stayed at Highclere, I bet the Rooms have a rule book that they have to keep by, what you have seen & heard stay’s in the room .. Oh well we shall never know hee hee.. as young person it must have been nice to know your mummy & daddy were just 2 doors away if you ever needed them..
I was intrigued by your entry about the various people who have stayed at Highclere, in particular, Elvira de la Fuenta, the double agent from the Second World War. I can’t help but think, what a reservoir of stories to be researched and told!
I found it interesting to notice in the Downton stories that people didn’t lock their doors, resulting in quite a few embarrassing situations. I wonder if that was standard practice at the time, and one had to be prepared at all times to be interrupted and still appear “presentable”. We have such a strong need for privacy today, or a need to control what we choose to show the outside world.
Did those doors not have locks? And were servants allowed to interrupt their masters at all times, or were there rules about that? The double doors seem to be a symbol of a degree of control and discretion that could be exercised by the patrons.
If walls could talk! If I ever get back to Britain Highclere is at the top of my list.
Thanks so much for sharing all the “goings on” at Highclere past and present.
Have a great day
Mary Beth
Dear Lady Carnavon
I was in touch with David Rymill a year or so ago as I was evacuated at Highclere during the war until we were housed with a family in Halfway Cottages near Stockcross. Looking back now, I can’t believe Highclere was opened to a bunch of waifs and strays from the blitz, with all the priceless collections (which I assume were put out of harm’s way). All I can remember was that my mother said it was always so cold, having no heating in those days. I remember more of Halfway and school at Stockcross, after having a scalding accident which prevented an even worse catastophe, being the sinking of an evacuee ship en route to Canada by German Uboats.
Now, strangely, I live in Canada!
I follow numerous blogs but yours is one of my all-time favorites! Living in the United States we just don’t have that sort of history that you have in Britain. So, reading your posts is always such a delight! Thank you for sharing! (I haven’t read your book on Catherine yet, but that is on my list to read next!) – Dori –
My wonderful husband had a surprise for me. He is taking me to Highclere Castle on the 19th of October to celebrate my 70th birthday. I am such a fan and this was my dream. How blessed I am to have such a wonderful husband to treat me so. See you then.
My wonderful husband has surprised me with a visit to Highclere Castle on the 19th of October to celebrate my 70th birthday. See you then.
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
Yesterday evening I watched tv and saw you in the TV show with Ivo Niehe. I am following the serie Downton Abbey and enjoy it! It’s a beautiful castle! You were hoping the people would like your castle. Well, I do! In November the 5th season will be on tv in Holland and I have the intention to watch again!
Yours sincerely,
Jacqueline Ruigendijk
I remember being sent out there as an evacuee with my younger sister Diane, there were quite a few of us, we stayed there still we were billeted out to local families , I went to stay with the Estate gamekeeper who lived in a gatehouse with a small garden, I remember enjoying the harvest day when the corn was cut and helping stack the sheafs , it used to be cut in a circle and the men bought their guns to shoot the rabbits that burst out from the middle.
How amazing – would you ever come here so I could write down your memories or would you write them down and may I have a copy? I wonder which gatehouse it was? Cherrycot?