海克利爾城堡位於英國漢普郡，始建於1839年，1953年列為英國一級表列保育建築 。城堡世代由赫伯特家族擁有，城堡現時屬於第八代卡那封伯爵喬治·赫伯特名下。英國著名的電視劇集《唐頓莊園》就是在海克利爾城堡拍攝，現時海克利爾城堡對外對開放
Highclere Park, Newbury, West Berkshire RG20 9RN英國
故事開始於1912年，鐵達尼號沉沒的消息傳回到唐頓莊園，攪亂格蘭伯爵一家人原本平靜的生活，唐頓莊園的繼承人；伯爵的姪子在海難中喪生，伯爵的三個女兒無法繼承他的頭銜與產業，壯觀的莊園和龐大的家產要由誰繼承? 一場繼承的風波就此展開。
伯爵夫人是出身富裕的美國人，當初帶著豐厚的財產嫁到英國，在婆婆伯爵老夫人看來，這樁婚姻也是為保全家產不得不做的犧牲。不過因為憂慮唐頓莊園的未來；這一對原本相處不睦的婆媳變成同一陣線，要幫大女兒瑪麗以最快的速度找到金龜婿。
大姐瑪麗天生麗質、頭腦聰明，不過冷若冰霜的態度常拒人於千里之外，面對結婚的壓力她心中已經自有主張。老二依蒂絲(Edith Crawley)不像大姐瑪麗有眾多追求者，中間排行的依蒂絲常覺得不受重視，於是努力要和大姐搶鋒頭、贏得眾人關注。小妹西碧(Sybil Crawley)是三姐妹中最叛逆的一個，她對家中的危機不甚關心，反而對政治及社會不公有強烈的熱忱。
在此同時，遙遠曼徹斯特的鄉村律師馬修接到一封信，身為伯爵遠親的他竟然是唐頓莊園的繼承人，這對中產階級的母子突然進入了上流社會的生活圈，猶如進入另一個世界，處境十分尷尬。
唐頓莊園中伯爵一家人的生活起居是由一大群僕人打點，這些僕人之間也有區分階級，並有許多需要謹守的紀律和規矩，彼此間的勾心鬥角也不亞於主人一家。退役軍人的貝茲(John Bates)來到唐頓莊園擔任伯爵的貼身男僕，他的到來引起一陣議論，伯爵老爺對貝茲特別照顧，而貝茲似乎背負著許多秘密，只有女僕安娜對貝茲表達善意，伯爵對貝茲的偏愛讓一些人不是滋味，於是處心積慮要陷害他。
Double library with coffered celings holds over 5,000 books.
The library is unusual in that it consists of a two part room. The opening between the two areas is featured by columns. This room is also available to rent as a conference room.*
History of Highclere Castle
Early years
An Iron Age Hill Fort dominates the landscapes at Highclere and an early Anglo-Saxon charter suggests people have lived here for some 1300 years. A few maps and outlines remain from that time but records are better kept from Georgian times.
Georgian and Victorian Times
Major rebuilding works were carried out in the late 18th and early 19th centuries by the Carnarvon family and the old brick and freestone house was converted to a classical Georgian mansion within a pastoral setting. The major transformation, however, was just about to happen.
In 1838, the 3rd Earl of Carnarvon brought in Sir Charles Barry to transform his home into a grand mansion which would impress the world.
It was a time of energy and change. The young Queen Victoria had just come to the throne, and the whole decade witnessed innovation in politics and cultural life.
The new “Highclere Castle” dominated its surroundings in a most dramatic way. No wonder Benjamin Disraeli's first words on seeing Highclere were "How scenical! How scenical!".
The structural work on the interior of the Castle was finally completed in 1878. Once built, the Castle became a centre of political life during the late Victorian era.
The 20th Century
In many ways Highclere Castle epitomised the confidence and glamour of the Edwardian period in the first few years of the twentieth century. Visitor books record the house parties full of politicians, technological innovators, Egyptologists, aviators and soldiers.
During the First World War, Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon, transformed the Castle into a hospital, and patients began to arrive from Flanders in September 1914. She became an adept nurse and a skilled healer and hundreds of letters from patients and their families bear testament to her untiring work and spirit of generosity.
The Castle returned to a private home and in 1922 the 5th Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun, the first global world media event.
Following the death of the 5th Earl, his son, who then became the 6th Earl, returned to Highclere where he lived until 1986. During the Second World War, the Castle briefly became a home for evacuee children from north London.
The current (8th) Earl and Countess of Carnarvon live partly in the Castle and partly nearby but remain closely involved in the Castle's day to day life and future.
Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey tells the story behind Highclere Castle, the real-life inspiration for the hit PBS show Downton Abbey, and the life of one of its most famous inhabitants, Lady Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon and the basis of the fictional character Lady Cora Crawley. Drawing on a rich store of materials from the archives of Highclere Castle, including diaries, letters, and photographs, the current Lady Carnarvon has written a transporting story of this fabled home on the brink of war.
Much like her Masterpiece Classic counterpart, Lady Almina was the daughter of a wealthy industrialist, Alfred de Rothschild, who married his daughter off at a young age, her dowry serving as the crucial link in the effort to preserve the Earl of Carnarvon’s ancestral home. Throwing open the doors of Highclere Castle to tend to the wounded of World War I, Lady Almina distinguished herself as a brave and remarkable woman.
This rich tale contrasts the splendor of Edwardian life in a great house against the backdrop of the First World War and offers an inspiring and revealing picture of the woman at the center of the history of Highclere Castle.
http://youtu.be/DPrrnJu1YO8
