Stars of the screen
Find out which historic houses and dramatic landscapes you can see on-screen, from popular TV dramas to brand new films.
On location with Downton Abbey
'Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale' arrives exclusively in cinemas on 12 September. From a quaint village to grand country houses, learn more about the historic locations used as Downton Abbey backdrops.
Across six seasons of the TV series and three films – including 'Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale' – several places in our care have played host to the Crawley family and their servants.
No Downton Abbey is complete without visiting beautiful country homes.
A quote by Liz Trubridge Producer for 'Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale'
Basildon Park, Berkshire
Almost all of Basildon Park's reception rooms feature in the upcoming cinema release, 'Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale', including the Hall, Dining Room and Drawing Room, as well as the Octagon Room with its famous dark red walls.
However, Basildon's historic interiors were first used as the set for Grantham House, the London home of the aristocratic Crawley family, in the TV series.
Grantham House was a key location for the 2013 Christmas special, when the family were preparing for Lady Rose's coming out ball in the capital. The crew then returned to Basildon for the series five finale, when Grantham House was at the heart of Lady Rose's wedding to Atticus Aldridge.
Behind the scenes at Basildon Park
Hear from both film producers and Basildon Park staff as they take you behind the scenes of bringing the final instalment, 'Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale', to the big screen at this historic location.
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Claydon House, Buckinghamshire
Claydon House makes its first Downton Abbey appearance in 'Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale', providing the interiors for Petersfield House, where the Crawley family attend a ball.
Lady Mary makes a dramatic entrance on Claydon's ornate staircase, which is one of the most important in our care. Known as the 'singing staircase' for its intricate metalwork balustrade with sheaves of wheat designed to 'rustle' as visitors pass by, it also contains mahogany, ebony, ivory and boxwood.
The staircase is too fragile for regular use, but following careful surveys – and with specialist filming conservators on hand to supervise – the Downton Abbey cast were able to glide up and down as the historic family’s guests once did. In order to protect the stairs, the actors wore very soft-soled shoes if their feet were in shot.
Claydon’s Saloon also appears in the film as the main ballroom, where a dramatic encounter with their hostess reveals that Mary is at the centre of a scandal – threatening her family and the whole household's reputation.
Lacock, Wiltshire
We care for both Lacock village, with its picturesque cottages and historic streets, and the neighbouring Lacock Abbey, which makes the area an ideal location for a period drama.
In the second episode of series six, Lacock’s Church Street was transformed into a bustling livestock market complete with pigs, sheep, cows and a one-tonne long-horned bull.
There was such a sense of occasion and excitement in the village during filming. It would have been impossible to recreate that atmosphere in a studio.
A quote by Gareth Neame Producer for 'Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale'
Lacock also had a starring role in the first Downton Abbey film, which was released in 2019. Set in 1927, the film focuses on King George V and Queen Mary's visit to the Downton Abbey estate. There's a spectacular royal parade through the streets of Lacock's village, featuring 350 extras which included real-life Lacock villagers in period-accurate costumes and 80 soldiers on horseback, plus a royal carriage.
The crew didn’t have to make many changes in terms of set dressing – there was a lot of union jack bunting and flags draped out of residents’ windows, and the tarmac was dusted to make it look less modern.
Supporting special places
As well as showing off beautiful locations, filming directly benefits the places in our care that star in the production. The income from location fees goes straight back into conservation work to care for historic houses and landscapes, so that we’ll all be able to see them both on screen and in real life for years to come.
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