
In about 1855, the 4th Earl of Carnarvon commissioned a very fine carpet from Agra in India for the new Library in Highclere Castle. It was of fabulous quality and lasted incredibly well. Sadly, however, in the end, due partly simply to the passage of time but also to the increasing footfall in the Castle, it wore out. Despite careful repairs and our best endeavours, a couple of years ago we had to take a deep breath and commission a new one.
Following much research and listening to a lot of advice, the new rug was based on a different but still traditional Shiraz pattern, again bringing together the rich, warm colours of Highclere’s Library. From swatches, bundles of threads, sketches and discussions over the course of a year, I finally plucked up the courage to email confirmation of the commission one January day. I then had three sleepless nights wondering whether I had got it right or had made a very, very large mistake.
Ten months later, it arrived at the front door, unbelievably heavy and most of the staff had to carry it inside. Again, it took all of us to unroll it on our hands and knees and then we had races to try to smooth out all the bumps. With enormous relief, I think it has been a great success.
As a result, I therefore commissioned a smaller version, which could be offered as one of online auction prizes to help raise money for the charities represented at September’s Heroes at Highclere weekend.
Over the last few weeks, the office here, and the various charities involved, have been mulling over what sort of online auctions lots might amuse visitors, supporters and “Downton” fans: something different, something fun, something to enjoy.
After the carpet idea, my next thought was about “dinner”:
- An afternoon with Luis our butler here in Highclere’s State Dining Room showing you how to set the table and including a dinner set which has been kindly donated by Wedgwood;
- A stay at one of Highclere’s Lodges looking out over extensive views of the Estate with an invitation to be our guests at a concert and formal dinner in the Castle.
For a bit of fun, we have put together a tour round the Castle and estate showing where some of the most dramatic “Downton” scenes were filmed. For example, where Matthew crashed his car or where Lady Mary fell off her horse. Of course, the office immediately started a discussion as to who could play the handsome young Turk who met a somewhat untimely end in season one, claiming that part of the prize should be dragging their victim of choice off the bed and out of Stanhope, the red bedroom, and round the gallery.
A wonderful Spanish family has come forward offered an exceptional hotel break in Barcelona along with a tour of the Tutankhamun exhibition there. Various bidders from our home team have an eye on that one.
My husband is contemplating the extraordinary book being offered by the RAF appeal, created from part of a VC10. The Tiger Moth pilots are also offering a ride in their planes – I was once a lucky passenger and you do get a sense of the romance of flying in bygone years.
Over the last few months, I have worked closely with the Highclere plane team putting on the air display and one of the underlying reasons for the whole event is to remember the airmen who crashed here on the estate and whom I have mentioned in previous blogs. Therefore, I thought another auction lot could be to take four people round the different plane crash sites and en-route stop for a picnic at the spot where we picnicked with Mary Berry in her BBC TV show. She was fascinated by it and enjoyed the metal detecting, immediately finding more of the remains of the B-17.
From afternoon tea, planes, boats, weekends away, music, paintings and a magic carpet we hope to raise a little more money for some incredibly worthwhile causes.
All the prizes can be found at www.32auctions.com/Heroes
MY DEAR LADY CARNARVON,
BEAUTIFUL IDEA. CONGRATULATIONS .
Thank you
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
When I think of carpets at Highclere I am reminded of something I read about the filming of Downton Abbey. I read that party scenes were not written too often by Julian Fellowes as the large carpet in on of the rooms (probably the Saloon) had to be rolled back each time. As this was a somewhat arduous process it was not done that often. Your new carpet sounds lovely. I’m sure it will be showcased brilliantly in the new Downton movie. Filming is not too far away. I’m going to check out the auction prizes now. I wish I had the money to buy up all the prizes for you. I would bid so much it would exceed your wildest expectations!! Well, we can always dream. Hoping the Heroes event goes perfectly for all at Highclere and friends.
Warm Regards,
Ann Catherine Flood
Thank you for your encouragement – we do roll the Saloon carpet back for dancing ourselves and Julian and his wife Emma who is also very special have joined us. In Downton they also showed the carpet being rolled up and they all danced. Julian I am sure has many ideas and the film crew make it work!
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
What a magnanimous gesture on the part of you, your husband and the other donors of items to the auction. And what a delightful array of items are on auction.
I’m currently trying to figure out how far the three Tiger Moth flights might be able to get towards Australia with the Wedgewood dinner set and carpet in stow.
Your blog’s title of “Magic Carpets” brings back memories of a number of years ago being in a souk in Tunis. One of the sellers pointed out a carpet to my daughters and said: “This is a magic carpet. Like Aladdin’s carpet, it flies.” Both my daughters were spellbound.
The man continued “And do you want to know what makes it fly?” To which my daughters excitedly replied “Yes”. Then slowly turning towards and pointing at me, he said “Your daddy’s credit cards.”
Good luck and best wishes with the auction. I might just go and but in a bid to get the ball rolling. Regards,
Jeffery Sewell
Dear Lady Carnarvon and blog friends,
I would like to give author’s credit to my Downton anecdote. The story came from one of Jessica Fellowes Downton companion books. These are lovely companion books that were written to accompany each season of Downton Abbey. If some of the fans are not as yet familiar they should consider reading these. They give the history of the characters, describe the filming of the series and relate real history about the time in which Downton is set. They have gorgeous photos and are a Downtonphile’s dream. I’m not sure who Ms. Fellowes attributed the anecdote to or if she even did directly but that is where I learned of it.
Have a lovely day Lady Carnarvon,
Ann Catherine Flood
Thank you, Anne.
I will see if those companion books are available in Australia.
Regards,
Jeffery Sewell
Beautiful and congratulations!
Every success as you take on your wonderful philanthropies!
It takes all of you to help!
I visited your utterly beautiful home in July this year. As I walked in a got goose bumps I was overwhelmed. Stunning just stunning …Thank you for making a dream come true … fantastic idea regarding carpet etc … you truly are a beautiful kind lady x
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
What a brilliant and philanthropic project. I wish you every success for your charities. You are such a kind, thoughtful and genuine person I would love to meet you someday. In the meantime, I’ll seat here a read read blogs from afar.
All the best,
Theresa
Savannah, Ga
Thank you and please do share this blog as the more people who see it and think it is fun the better!
What a treasures!!
I enjoy reading about your beautiful historical house and the generous ways you come up with for sharing it with others. One question on the carpet, though:
Is the dog included??? ; )
Best Wishes,
Jacqueline N.
Bella is going to be in situ on the lawns for photos – only from behind of course…
Silly question, I know, but what will become of the old carpet?
I had the ripped pieces removed, repaired it and it just fitted in the Smoking Room on top of which I put mats across the corner where visitors walk. It is sort of ok! I then moved the Smoking Carpet to an upstairs bedroom where it is rarely walked upon as I realised that was also special. However I am slowly making my way up the Tower and it may be quite fun to put the agra up there in the end – I have plans for the Tower! Maybe that should be another auction prize – a trip up the Tower and a glass of champagne (of course) as a prize when we are op top of Highclere’s world
The carpet auction is a terrific idea. Wish I could join the fun in September.
Wishing you blessings for success!
Allison Barker
Allen, Texas
Thank you for sharing so much of your life. God bless you.
That all sounds great fun. Having a smaller version of the carpet for auction was a generous gesture, I hope it raises lots of money. We recently took a rug that belonged to my husband’s grandparents, to The Antiques Road Show here. My daughter complained that she had to carry it around ..but felt better when we decided to give it to her and not sell it.
We have had two days with rain so we ( I am sure I speak for the other blog fans here in Texas !) and so we are cheered and have had a little respite from the heat. I hope your weather has been kind too, not too hot or too rainy. Like your son, we are obsessed with weather here!
Dear Lady Carnarvon ,
I’ve enjoyed reading your blog and have just finished reading Lady Catherine and the Real Downton Abbey in advance of visiting on 4th September .I will be coming with my sister in law who lives in France she also loved reading your book and has been a great fan of Downton.
Fifty years ago almost to the day when I come to visit Highclere I went to work as a matron at Heatherdown and Geordie and Harry were both there ,a year later I became the senior matron .I was there for seven happy years and eventually married my husband Simon who was a classics master after your husband and his brother had left .We went on to look after prep schools for twenty seven years retiring from Eagle House where Simon was head for eighteen years .Lady Porchester gave me some lovely gifts sadly mostly broken in house moves but I still use a tiny China jug the remaining piece of an early morning tea set she gave me when Harry left ! I’m sure your husband will remember Rhidian Llwellyn who returned as a gap year student and eventually became head at Pappawick he is a great friend of ours and we are having dinner with him on Wednesday .
I would love to say hello when we visit but I realise how busy these days must be for you and your family .My maiden name was Larter ,both your husband and Harry probably hardly remember me but felt I couldn’t visit Highclere without mentioning the connection .
I wasn’t sure that this was the right place to introduce myself please do delete if it’s inappropriate .
Yours sincerely
Christine Carder
I hope I will see you and I will let my husband know!
I cannot wait to come visit this beautiful home!!!!
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
Best wishes for great success in such worthwhile fundraising. I have scrolled through the auction items and am intrigued by several! For such important charities, it truly is “money well spent”. You are an example to all.
Thank you, and good luck! I wish I could be there, but I will return to Highclere in the future as there is always something new to discover and something familiar to treasure again.
Best regards,
Charlotte Cole
I hope there a re a few fun prizes – nor do I mind taking more than four people round the WW2 crash sites- whatever money we can raise. We are working now with a US charity called TAPS for the families of servicemen so it is coming together.
Lady Carnarvon,
The carpet is beautiful. It brings out the red wine tones in the warm Library. The online auction is a brilliant idea; the red room is gorgeous! Always for a good cause.
The carpet is really nice !
Would it be possible for you, Lady Carnavon, or readers to please provide the titles and authors of “accurate” books on Highclere and Downton Abbey. I have looked at several which are more story books than historical records and/or documentary style writings. I will follow both the Fellowes as authors to start with as I imagine they will have published excellent works. Thank you to you and other members who may be able to help.
Every good wish for great rewards for all your dedicated planning and committment toward September’s Heroes weekend.
Warmest wishes from South Australia,
Jane Evans
“Waverley”,
Littlehampton
The books on Downton Abbey are about the TV series and it fictional characters. I think they did one called Behind the Scenes and another about the Making of the TV series? I think they are by Julian Fellowes and his relative Jessica Fellowes. Julian and Emma Fellowes I know well and they have often stayed here. I have never yet met Jessica Fellowes but the books have been a great success and I am sure are still on sale now. They do not reference Highclere or the garden and estate but the ups and downs of Julian’s plots and characters.
In contrast, I simply write the real stories and anecdotes, using the archives and photos, sharing the stories,lives, loves and laughter of this extraordinary castle and home. I writes as the Countess of Carnarvon and my books are also on Amazon or in bookshops.I have several books in the pipeline but wish just to focus on Heroes before I turn back to writing!!!
Dear Lady Carnarvon and blog friends,
Lady Carnarvon is quite right in her description of the Downton books. They are a go along with the series and do provide a lot of background about the series Downton Abbey. They are more good fun than serious history. For history on Highclere you can’t do better than Lady Carnarvon’s books. As you all know she is quite the historian and has made her life’s work the study and preservation of Highclere. There are so many autobiographical accounts of famous people in history (Henry James, The Prince of Wales) who have visited HIghclere. These are in At Home at Highclere. This book is a must read for all who want to know Highclere’s history- and there are favorite Highclere recipes as well!! A PERFECT read for all Highclerephiles.
Regards and Happy Reading,
Ann Catherine Flood
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
I wish you the very best of weather and success for this great weekend! (c :
Chantal
Thank you!
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
You have great instincts. I think it is sometimes difficult to trust oneself. You have been in charge for a long time and I know you feel a deep sense of responsibility which manifests in your decisions.
By the way, I was watching Jeeves and Wooster which I have not watched in quite sometime when I noticed Wooster sitting in the library. I finally bought the collection so I could back up the DVD and watch a scene again. I paid better attention and started to notice the long shots of the Highclere exterior. What fun it was to see Highclere in a different context not to mention the enjoyment I get from watching Fry and Laurie.
Thanks again for another interesting blog.
Susan
Thank you – I have not been at Highclere that long ! We have run rather hard and in fact Jeeves and Wooster (which I love )was from my parents’s in law time.. Fry and Laurie were great – wonderful timing
As always, your blogs fascinate and enthrall. Your descriptions of everday goings on make Highclere seem more like a home. My husband and I are rewatching Downton Abbey for the umpteenth time and just finished season 2. This time we are noticing more details of Highclere itself. I so admire your dedication and stewardship of your adopted home. It is my dream to see it one day. And we can’t wait for the movie!
Thank you – it is a magical home but magical because of the people here
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
What a beautiful magic carpet! The warm tones and exquisite quality complement the room so well. You manage everything with such grace, good humor and confidence. It’s pure perfection.
Best of luck with the Heroes at Highclere fundraiser! The online auction items are just spectacular. I’d like to bid on several auction items. I still dream of visiting Highclere one day.
Wishing you all every success and great weather…
Warm wishes,
Stacey Brown
The Woodlands, Texas
P.S. Hope the horses are doing well!
Thank you – I have not had much time to ride but the horse flies will soon have gone and September should be a lovely month to speed across fields of stubble
Is it not the Stoke-on-Trent English fine bone china brand spelled “Wedgwood”?
Thank you for the correction!
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
A huge fan of yours turned me onto your blog and love reading it amd also the comments. We visited Highclere Castle at the end of this past July. Your staff person, Paul, was wonderful to speak with as he informed us on your very generous efforts on behalf of the “Heroes.” It also bears mentioniing that during our two weeks in London and its countryside, our beverage of choice was Pimms cocktails! God Save the Queen and Lady Carnarvon. Warmly, Linda Clark, Texas
Thank you!
All of the ideas sound marvelous! I wish you much success with the fundraiser.
That carpet lasted an extremely long time. Were there any pieces that you were able to salvage? I tried to salvage part of a carpet that belonged to my Swedish great-grandmother, but it was not possible. It was too heavy and it almost turned to dust when rolled up. We ended up shoving it out the third floor window where the trash men hauled it away. A sad, but necessary end.
That is the problem with storing them – you lose them! Everything here is work in progress, a different path or idea and giving time for time to help me decide what to do
Dear Lady Carnarvon
Another wonderful, talented blog and so much more meaningful now I have visited myself. I’m only sorry we did not have time for the park, but that’s a good excuse to revisit and re-read all your books now I have a much better reference for them.
I’m sure Heroes at Highclere and the auction will be a huge success. Hope the weather is good to you.
Thank you – it is looking ok but I am keeping everything crossed..
I noticed that in one of your replies you mentioned that your had the ripped pieces of the original carpet removed and replaced. I think that the old pieces would make great auction items if you still have them. Wishing you great success in your auction.
I think disintegrate is another word – sadly !
Oh that carpet is spectacular. I so enjoy reading about the history and goings-on at Highclere! I can’t wait to come for a visit.
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
I truly think that “Heroes at Highclere” is probably one of best things to commemorate such an important moment, that being the 100th anniversary of the ending of the Great War, where so many served their country, amongst them Canadians. And what a wonderful connection Highclere has with Canada and the birth of the Confederation. … I will be visiting Highclere for the third time this coming November and I am looking forward to indulge once more in such beautiful surroundings and view that Maple tree planted nearby by the High Commissioner Janice Charette from Canada House at Trafalgar Square, your husband and yourself.
I send you, Lady Carnarvon, and all those involved in this commemorative project for this early September weekend my best wishes for such a commendable event.
Warmest regards,
François Désilets, Ottawa
Thank you are very kind – we have Canadian chaplain helping orchestrate the Sunday service, and other Canadians are also joining us
Dear Lady Carnarvon: what a beautiful carpet and a beautiful idea! All the best for the auction and for the Downton Abbey “reboot”! Reisa Rogovein
Dear Lady Carnarvon
I allow myself to write to you
because it is our last chance.
My mother, Sylvie and myself, Lou, let us come to London from October 11th to October 14th. We are french who love England ;D
To discover London and celebrate her birthday. I would like so much to make her the surprise visit your castle which is the emblematic place of the serie “Downton Abbey”.
Indeed, my mother is fan of the serie, this English history, your history because she tells the evolution of the castle, the English nobility and her servants.
I do not hide you that it transmitted the virus to me and I am always sick HIHIHI 😉
Moreover, I visited your site and your blog, I know that we have a common love for the animals and especially the dogs! My mother would be charmed of speaking about Golden Retriever (We have Dragée, us lovely Golden) and other dogs around a cup of tea in one of the splendid rooms of Highclere.
My mother likes the History, the Great Fields such as yours and the dogs as well as the tea and of course Downton Abbey!
You have very to hear you and share your passions.
Dear Lady Carnarvon, offer us to it chance to meet you… If not to attend the visit of the 13. October.
https://highclerecastleshop.co.uk/categories/special-guided-tours
Sorry for my english… I speak english like a spanish coat 😉
I thank you and Long live Highclere!
Lou
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
What Excellent ideas, and opportunities for gatherings and money making! You and your staff sound like you’re having a ‘party’ just planning them! In all seriousness, your cause is definitely one which I applaud, and I hope you have tremendous good fortune with these ideas.
On a different note, the ‘new’ carpet is magnificent! I can only imagine how it took ALL of you to unroll and manuvre it into place. We have a much smaller one, but they are quite heavy.
Best of luck in your endeavors toward successful Heroes ventures!
Sincerest Regards,
Jane Hrabak
Thank you Jane – it was quite an effort.