The narrative offers an intimate glimpse into a historic country house, revealing the seasonal rhythms of life at Highclere. It highlights the intricacies of gardening, the joy of harvesting, the art of cooking, and the pleasures of entertaining, all through the perspective of the lady of the manor. This book is a celebration of the estate's rich traditions and the beauty of its landscape throughout the year.
Join Lady Carnarvon as she opens the Castle's gates to show how the iconic
British landmark celebrates and changes each season. This book reveals the
treasures within Highclere Castle's land and estates: Georgian architecture,
follies, secret gardens, the monks' garden, wildflower meadows and the woods
of enchantment.
Highclere Castle, known as 'the real Downton Abbey', bustles with activity at the best of times, but it is never more alive than at Christmas. Highclere at Christmas is a look behind the scenes at the routines and rituals that make the castle the most magical place to be throughout the festive season. Lady Carnarvon will guide you through Advent, Christmas preparations and Christmas Eve all the way through to the day itself, and beyond. Learn how the manor and grounds are transformed by decorations, including the raising of a twenty-foot tree in the saloon, the gathering of holly and mistletoe from the grounds. All the intricacies of the perfect traditional Christmas are here: from crackers and carol singers. The festive feeling is carried through to Highclere's Boxing Day traditions, the restorative middle days and the New Year's Eve celebrations. This book also tells the story of historic Christmases at Highclere - of distinguished guests warming themselves by the fire after a long journeys home through the snow, unexpected knocks on the door, and, always, the joy of bringing family - and staff - together after a busy year. As well as telling the stories of Highclere Christmases past and present, Lady Carnarvon provides recipes, tips and inspiration from here kitchen so that readers can bring a quintessentially British festive spirit to their own home. Lady Carnarvon divulges the secret to perfectly flakey mince pies, the proper way to wrap presents so that you and your guests are guaranteed a Christmas to remember. Lavish, celebratory and utterly enchanting, Highclere at Christmas is celebration of one of the UK's most beloved historic houses and is the perfect gift for any Downton Abbey fan
The real-life inspiration and setting for the Emmy Award-winning Downton Abbey, Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey tells the story behind Highclere Castle and the life of one of its most famous inhabitants, Lady Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon. 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 Cora Crawley, 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.
The follow-up to the international bestseller Lady Almina and the Real Downton
Abbey, this book moves the story into the 1920s, and focuses on the remarkable
American heiress who came to reign at Highclere Castle.
