Castles for Christmas: Highclere Castle to Hearst Castle

Just call me Lady Carrie, I'm ready for that Downtown Abbey life.

Me at Highclere Castle

As antravel, culture, architecture, art & art history lover, I rarely pass up an opportunity to visit a castle. But for those few that cater to regular visitors, some in particular are wonderful to visit during the holidays, and I realized I have never written about them, so here we go…

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Highclere Castle, UK

If you are a fellow Downton Abbey fan, you already know of Highclere Castle located in Hampshire, England. Highclere is set amidst 1,000 acres of spectacular parkland, designed for the 1st Earl of Carnarvon by the famous 18th century landscape gardener "Capability" Brown. There are six 18th century follies framing views from which to admire the landscape.

About: The first written records of the estate date back to 749 when an Anglo-Saxon King granted the estate to the Bishops of Winchester. Bishop William of Wykeham built a beautiful medieval palace and gardens in the park. Later on, in 1679, the palace was rebuilt as Highclere Place House when it was purchased by Sir Robert Sawyer, the direct ancestor of the current Earl of Carnarvon. In 1842, Sir Charles Barry, who also designed the Houses of Parliament, transformed Highclere House into the present day Highclere Castle.

My Visit: They do many events throughout the year on property, and it can be booked for special events, weddings and tours, but because one of the properties that I was was working with at the time - Four Seasons Hampshire - was nearby, we often did partnerships together so I had the opportunity to visit the property and walk the property while it was decorated for the holidays, making it extra special. I actually ended up having a long conversation with Lady Carnarvon as we discussed history and books, and of course we shot video all around the exterior of the beautiful building. While summer weather may make for nice long walks, the extra decor around the building also gave it that special touch.

Tours: There are between 250 and 300 rooms in the Castle Saloon and during your tour you will explore the main state rooms so familiar from "Downton Abbey". You will see some of the bedrooms after which you will follow the stairs down to the cellars and old staff quarters where you will find the Egyptian Exhibition, celebrating the 5th Earl of Carnarvon's discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun.

Media: Lady Carnarvon keeps busy with her books, podcast, and social media, so you can follow along with estate life from anywhere. Her husband’s family are the Carnarvon line, but she has brought it to life through modern communication. And of course, binge the Downtown Abbey series, or watch either of the two movies for some more inspiration.

Hearst Castle

Me overlooking the spectacular coastline view from the castle

Hearst Castle, US

A gem nestled into the central coast of California, Hearst Castle is still a bit of a secret to many. Conceived by media tycoon William Randolph Hearst, the publishing tycoon, and his architect Julia Morgan, the castle was built between 1919 and 1947, and is bursting with an art collection amassed from around the world. Throughout his life, Hearst dreamed of building a dwelling similar to those he had seen on his European tour as a boy. Hearst Castle was to become the realization of this dream as he and architect Julia Morgan collaborated for 28 years to construct a castle worthy of those he saw in Europe. Today, Hearst Castle is a museum open to the public as a California State Park and registered as a National Historic Landmark and California Historical Landmark.

My visit: As both a history and old hollywood buff, this was a fabulous trip to make in early December. I stayed nearby in Cambria, where the town holiday decorations make you feel like you are in a Gilmore Girls episode, and long walks by the water is a lovely bonus. You need to pre-book tours on a particular floor, so we opted for an earlier one on the higher floors to avoid slower crowds BUT…because it was slower at that time (rare) and my friend and I were talking to each other about all of the historic details we already knew, the tour guide kindly took us aside after and walked us through the other floors! The main floor is really decorated up for the holidays, so it is a lovely thing to do, imagining what the big hollywood parties were back in the day, with Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant, the Marx Brothers, Greta Garbo, Buster Keaton, Mary Pickford, Jean Harlow and Clark Gable.

Media: There is a lot to watch, read and listen - and before you even start your tour you actually watch a short movie in the estates theater to put in the mood. Most famously, Hearts young actress mistress Marion Davies wrote her memories of that time in 'The Times We Had’, and Orson Welles based his masterpiece film ‘Citizen Cane’ on Hearst, for which he sought revenge on the filmmaker after. There was also a famous death on one of Hearts boats, which the movie ‘Cat’s Meow’ is based on, and David Fincher film “Mank” recreated the Hearst Castle as a set, given the biographical drama was about screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz who wrote Citizen Cane.

*As a bonus, I have stayed at two beautiful hotels in Ireland that are essentially converted castles / estates, so check out Ashford Castle and Adare Manor

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