About Highclere Castle
Highclere Castle is best known as the real-life setting of Downton Abbey, but long before television crews arrived it was already one of England’s most dramatic country houses. The Jacobean-style mansion was redesigned in the 1840s by Sir Charles Barry — the architect of the Houses of Parliament — and sits in 1,000 acres of Capability Brown parkland on the Hampshire–Berkshire border. Weddings here use the Saloon, Library and State Dining Room, with the south lawn opening onto uninterrupted views of the Downs.
Photographically, Highclere is a dream. The gothic-revival towers, grand staircase and cedar-lined drive give every part of the day a cinematic quality, and the rooms are large enough to move freely without interrupting guests. I pay particular attention to the light streaming through the Saloon’s stained glass and the golden hour portraits on the long south lawn, where the castle silhouette makes a backdrop that’s almost impossible to beat.
