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.
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.
