Discover Downton Abbey's secret gardens
Step inside the gardens where Downton Abbey was filmed. Lady Carnarvon gives us an exclusice tour, including Dame Maggie Smith's bench, the secret garden and the spots where so many famous scenes were shot
Downton Abbey, home to the fictional Crawley family, is filmed in one of the largest lived-in homes in the UK – the spectacular Highclere Castle. In this exclusive tour, Lady Carnarvon takes Alan Titchmarsh on a tour of the castle grounds, to see its beautiful gardens and the locations where the filming magic took place for the Downton Abbey feature films and TV series.
When viewers around the world tune in to Downton Abbey, they are transported not only into the drawing rooms and dining halls of aristocratic life but also into sweeping landscapes and intimate garden scenes that feel timeless. Much of this enchantment is owed to the grounds of Highclere Castle in Hampshire—the real-life estate that became inseparable from the fictional home of the Earl and Countess of Grantham.
Highclere’s gardens, restored and expanded by Lady Fiona Carnarvon and her team, have become as iconic to Downton Abbey as the castle’s Gothic Revival façade. “What you are blessed with are these glorious cedars of Lebanon,” Alan Titchmarsh remarked during his visit. “They are as much Downton Abbey as the building itself.” Their evergreen presence allowed filmmakers the freedom to shoot and reshoot outdoor scenes across the seasons without breaking continuity.
Lady Carnarvon revealed the fortunate way that Highclere was chosen as the filming location for Downton Abbey: "Julian and Emma Fellowes were friends. So they came and sat, had tea, sat in our dining room, dined, stayed the weekend, conversed, drank wine. That's why I think there's a lot of drinking in Downton Abbey, by the way. And Julian said that he wrote Downton with Highclere in mind, one of the largest lived-in homes in this country. You can explore the geography of it quite simply on camera. And having come here as the first house on their recce, they couldn't believe they'd found the right one," says Lady Carnarvon.
How important are the gardens in the filming of Downton Abbey?
The gardens feature quite a lot, but often they're pretending they're the Dower house gardens of Maggie Smith, and some of the other scenes around the fields were actually shot at Highclere, and they pretend they're not shot here. "That's the magic of the movies," remarks Lady Carnarvon.
What is the Secret Garden at Highclere Castle?
It's been the Secret Garden since the 1960s. It was designed by Jim Russell, most famous for his work at Castle Howard. It's a unique secret garden because it's not inside the walled garden. It has a wonderful serpentine grass path and deep mixed herbaceous borders. Here, Maggie Smith filmed with Penelope Wilton, their characters’ verbal duels softened by a backdrop of roses and hydrangeas.
In other locations around the ground, scenes of joy and sorrow have been filmed beneath Highclere’s ancient trees and along its flower-filled walks. A simple bench under a cedar recalls moments of Lady Mary’s contemplation, as well as Princess Mary’s tears in the first Downton Abbey film.
Other areas, such as the Monk’s Garden with its yew arches, speak to the estate’s deeper past. Once a place of cultivation for bishops, later reshaped by Capability Brown in the 18th century, it now serves as a promenade of leisure.
Restoring Highclere's gardens
Lady Carnarvon began revitalising the gardens before Downton Abbey came calling. Much of the estate’s horticultural legacy had been lost in the upheavals of the 20th century, and her vision was to restore the grounds as a destination in their own right. The White Border, inspired by Vita Sackville-West’s famous garden at Sissinghurst, and a personal rose arbour dedicated to her late parents, show how personal memory and public storytelling intertwine in these spaces.
Working with a small but devoted team, the Carnarvons have ensured that Highclere’s gardens not only support the needs of film crews but also inspire the thousands of visitors who arrive each year with Downton Abbey in mind. “It’s about heart and time out and about,” Lady Carnarvon reflected. “It’s quite emotional coming here for many people—and that matters.”
Highclere Castle may be a stately home with centuries of history, but thanks to Downton Abbey, its gardens are now known the world over as living stages, where roses bloom, cedars endure, and stories—both real and imagined—continue to unfold.
Visit Highclere Castle
Join Alan Titchmarsh for an exclusive tour and Q&A at Highclere Castle on 24 September 2025.
Great gardening advice for FREE
Sign up to the Gardeners' World newsletter, for advice from Monty and all your favourite gardeners
