Oxford and Downton

What a day! We had an all day excursion to Oxford, then two Downton Abbey sites: Bampton where the village shots were made and the main attraction, Highclere Castle!

Oxford was very interesting. We visited Christchurch Hall and the cathedral. This hall was the model for the Harry Potter dining hall (J.K. Rowling was a professor at Oxford). It was very cool to see it in real life instead of on a movie screen. We were both very impressed with the architecture of the college and with the Cathedral.

Next we headed to Bampton which was quite a treat. The guide showed us which houses were used for Downton sets, including Mrs Crawley's house, Grantham
Arms Inn, and the Dog and Duck Inn. The front of the town library was the Downton hospital. The village is dominated by the church, which was also featured in Downton Abbey, hosting two weddings and one funeral.

But the best thing was Highclere Castle. When you drive to the parking lot, you see the exact scene as the opening of the TV show. What a thrill! We were able to visit both the main and second floors with volunteers on site to answer questions and explain how various rooms were used in the episodes. Unfortunately no photography was allowed inside, but looking down on the main room from the second floor was amazing. And we got to descend the main staircase as well. It was all very moving.
Afterwards we had tea and a snack, then headed outside for more pictures of the castle and a few of the grounds and gardens. Our two hours passed very quickly then back on the bus for eye ride back to London.