My
sister in America is a huge fan of Downton Abbey. I must confess that I
have never seen it but I have quite a few friends over here in England
that are equally enamoured with the series. One of the locations that
Downton Abbey uses for its backdrop is Bampton, Oxfordshire. I live
about 8 or so miles from there and had been telling myself for time that
I should visit and take some photos to send to my sister. So with a
knowledgeable friend and her pup we headed out to Church
View, the road where Bampton Library (Grantham hospital), St,. Mary's
Church ( the village church), and 2 other houses that make up Crawley
house and Grantham Arms are situated. Another motivation for visiting Bampton on the day, was rumour had it,
they were filming Series 4, so it might offer up a chance of spotting a
famous actor. There were only a handful of us milling around and taking
pictures and the local newspaper was there interviewing a few of us,
getting our views on everything Downton. They even took a few photos of
us and said to look for the article in an upcoming edition. It made us
feel a bit like the celebrity. We missed the real stars of the show, as
we came on their lunch break but it was a pleasant experience seeing
the 'set'. Now to complete my Downton Abbey experience with a visit to
Highclere Castle, near Newbury and probably a watch of the series
wouldn't go amiss either.
Opportunities this May Bank Holiday to visit both Bampton and Highclere Castle
Opportunities this May Bank Holiday to visit both Bampton and Highclere Castle
Highclere Game & Country Fair, May 26-27, 8am-6pm
More information and advance tickets can be found at www.countrymanfairs.co.uk
