Highclere Castle

Over het museum

The Highclere estate is first recorded in 749, when an Anglo-Saxon king granted it to the Bishops of Winchester. In the Middle Ages the bishops built a palace and gardens in the park. In 1679 Sir Robert Sawyer bought the estate and rebuilt the palace as Highclere Place House, and his descendants include the present Earls of Carnarvon. Capability Brown designed the surrounding parkland in 1771, and several 18th-century follies still frame views across it.

In 1842 the architect Sir Charles Barry, who also designed the Houses of Parliament, transformed the house into the castle seen today. During the First World War it served as a hospital for wounded soldiers under the 5th Countess of Carnarvon, and during the Second World War it housed children evacuated from London. The 5th Earl of Carnarvon financed the excavations that led to the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, and an exhibition in the castle's cellars and former staff quarters tells that story.

Highclere became world famous as Downton Abbey, the setting of the television drama and the films that followed. The castle is open to the public for self-guided visits on selected days in spring and summer, and guided tours are held on set dates throughout the year. Visitors see the state rooms, some bedrooms, the Egyptian Exhibition and the gardens, which include a Monk's Garden, a Secret Garden and a White Border.

Hoogtepunten

• State rooms familiar from Downton Abbey
• Egyptian Exhibition about the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb
• Capability Brown parkland and 18th-century follies
• Monk's Garden, Secret Garden and White Border
• Lady Mary's bench in the gardens

Vaste collectie

• Egyptian Exhibition – An exhibition in the cellars and former staff quarters about the 5th Earl of Carnarvon and the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb.
• State rooms and bedrooms – The main rooms of the castle, familiar from the Downton Abbey films and series, and a selection of the bedrooms.

Beheerder

Highclere Enterprises LLP

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

The prices shown are for public opening in 2027; the full ticket including the Egyptian Exhibition costs more than the Castle and Gardens ticket. Tickets are sold online and cannot be moved to another date. Guided tours and special events have their own prices.

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: geen informatie
• Aangepast toilet: geen informatie
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats: geen informatie
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

The main state rooms and the exhibition are accessible for manual wheelchairs. The upstairs gallery can be reached only by a long, steep staircase and is open only to visitors who can walk unaided; photograph albums of the bedrooms can be read in the Saloon. Wheelchairs and mobility aids cannot be left anywhere inside the house. Manual wheelchairs can be hired by contacting the castle, but there is no escort service, so a companion must push. Motorised wheelchairs are useful on the castle lawns. The woodland and meadow paths are rough grass and some garden paths are gravel. Assistance dogs are allowed with advance notice.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops

Children under 4 enter free, and there are child and family tickets. An annual charity Easter Egg Trail is held during spring public opening. Pushchairs are welcome in the grounds and gardens but not inside the castle, where they can be left in the front hall at the owner's risk; baby carriers are allowed.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The castle is west of London near the M4 and Newbury; follow the brown tourist signs from the A34. Do not rely on satellite navigation close to the castle; if you use it, enter RG20 9LE and then follow the brown signs to the main entrance. Recommended local taxi firms are Cabco, Go Green Taxis and Ave Cabs of Newbury.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Museumwinkel

Tearooms open from 09:30 during public opening with sandwiches, salads, wraps, cakes and hot takeaway food, plus a refreshment van on the lawns and a cocktail bar. The castle gift shop is open from 09:30. Picnics are not allowed in the gardens or grounds, but visitors may eat their own food at their car in the estate parking area. Large bags and backpacks are not permitted in the castle grounds; a small storage area at Visitor Reception is available for visitors arriving by taxi.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur
• Privéfeesten
• Zakelijke evenementen
• Bruiloften / trouwceremonies

Offered for weddings, private dining, private receptions, board meetings and conferences, and private venue hire, including the Highclere Pavilion.

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