A Year at Highclere explores real Downton Abbey with the Countess of Carnarvon

An updated tour of Highclere Castle, the real Downton Abbey, arrives in A Year at Highclere, a new book by Fiona, Countess of Carnarvon. Published by Penguin Books at £22 and spanning 320 pages, the work traces what life at the Essex-born English estate looks like over the course of a calendar year, mixing personal anecdotes with the broader history of the house and its occupants. The book arrives as fans of the television saga look back on the series' finale and seek new ways to connect with the world behind the cameras.

The Countess deploys Highclere’s long, layered story to illuminate a place where history is a living presence. She writes of the castle’s medieval roots, its 500-year arc of ownership, and the ways in which the grounds and cellar rooms have absorbed the legacies of figures from Egyptology to modern celebrity visitors. A recurring motif is the way the estate preserves both public heritage and private memory, with the house serving as a conduit between past and present. The author notes that while the television Downton Abbey popularized the place, Highclere’s bona fides as a family home remain the true engine of its story. The book blends intimate portraits of residents with vignettes about guests who have passed through its doors, offering readers a sense of daily life at an estate that is actively lived in, curated, and still evolving.

There is a strong thread of myth and legend woven through the year at Highclere. The Countess recounts how the castle’s artifacts hold both fascination and notoriety. The cellars are described as a trove of antiquities collected by George Herbert, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, whose forays into Egyptology helped unearth the tomb of Tutankhamun with Howard Carter. The discovery’s shadow—sometimes called the Pharaoh’s curse—has long hovered in popular imagination, and the Countess does not deny that such lore informs the castle’s aura. Yet the narrative emphasizes the family’s pragmatic approach to history: the curses are treated as stories that add texture to life at Highclere rather than as omens to be feared. In her own words, ghosts are simply “people who have lost their way: missed the right turning, if you will.” This light touch—humor paired with reverence for the castle’s past—helps anchor the book’s tone.

The author offers behind-the-scenes glimpses of the estate’s modern-day life and its famous visitors. Among the memorable episodes is the Queen’s weekend visit in 2002, accompanied by Prince Philip, for which the hosts reportedly laid in ample supplies of Dubonnet for the Queen and IPA on hand for the Duke of Edinburgh. The anecdote, recounted with affection and a touch of whimsy, underscores Highclere’s enduring role in British public life. The Countess also notes the long-standing presence of cultural figures who have dropped in over the years, among them the late actress Maggie Smith, whose sharp wit on screen has been a defining element of Downton Abbey’s appeal. Highclere’s guest list—ranging from royals to celebrities—helps situate the castle as more than a museum piece: a home where history is both hosted and performed.

The book frames these anecdotes within a broader narrative about life at a great house in the 21st century. It is less a conventional memoir than a guided tour through a living museum: rooms are described with attention to architectural detail and the ways in which the estate’s work—stewardship of the grounds, preservation of artifacts, and hospitality to guests—continues to define the family’s daily existence. The Countess’s voice is warm and encyclopedic at once, guiding readers through a year that reveals the interconnectedness of personal memory, national history, and popular culture. The text also contextualizes Highclere’s significance beyond television, reminding readers that the manor’s appeal rests on a long arc of family stewardship and public engagement.

A Year at Highclere is published by Penguin Books and is priced at £22. It runs 320 pages and is described as a tribute to a house that remains at the center of Britain’s cultural imagination. For Downton fans and general readers alike, the book offers a window into the living history of a place where the past continually informs the present, and where the ghosts—even the jolly, benign ones—seem to be part of the daily rhythm rather than mere legends. The Countess’s account anchors Highclere as a dynamic, social, and historical hub where high jinks and high society share the frame with archaeology, ancestry, and ongoing storytelling.