Highclere Castle

Highclere Castle, the place most notably recognised as Downton Abbey, has been the home of the Earls and Countesses of Carnarvon since the late 17th century, and is still cherished by the present Lord and Lady Carnarvon as a family home.

With links to such things as the discovery of Tutankhamen’s Tomb, being converted into a hospital during WWI and housing evacuees in WWII, it certainly has an impressive past on which to draw inspiration for licensing opportunities.

Located in Berkshire UK, the estate boasts 5000 acres of grounds and is one of the most beautiful Victorian Castles in the world, set amidst spectacular parkland and is instantly recognisable as the location for the highest rated TV series on PBS in its history in the United States, ITV in the UK and other leading TV networks worldwide.

Throughout the centuries, Highclere has welcomed Royalty, Statesmen, Egyptologists and pioneers of technology along with men and women from the worlds of music and art.

This licensing initiative is being actively supported by Lord and Lady Carnarvon. Lady Carnarvon, who aside from being the current “chatelaine” of the house, is the bestselling author of multiple books; Lady Almina & the Real Downton Abbey, Lady Catherine & the Real Downton Abbey, At Home at Highclere, Christmas at Highclere, Seasons At Highclere and the newly released The Earl & The Pharoah  and is a true expert on the history of the house, its possessions and its inhabitants.

The current licensing programme includes;

AW Industries in the USA who have launched ‘The Highclere Collection’ a range of beds, mattresses and headboards, featuring the icon Castle and surrounding Follies found in the Estate.

Standard Fiber, who have developed of a broad assortment of top of bed, bath and pet products all designed with the distinctive English elegance and charm that the famous estate exudes.

In the UK prestigious licensee Peter Reed have recently launched a range of table and bed linens.

Hangzhou Kanghou in China have launched a successful range of luxurious duvets and pillows under their Sidanda Brand, and have just extended their agreement for a further 3 years.

As you may know the first Downton Abbey movie was a huge success followed by Downton Abbey: A New Era which left the door open for more…so the latest announcement that Downton Abbey 3 has been confirmed and is in production comes as no surprise!

The castle welcomes 1000’s of visitors each year from countries all over the world and many tour operators have seen the ‘demand’ for such visits consistently increase over the last year.