An aristocratic family, sumptuous historic mansions with extensive lawns and customs, and a setting that mixed modernization with the maintenance of traditions.
All these details refer to the England early 19th century in the so-called post-Edwardian era, but actually they also mean something else: that a New Downton Abbey movie is out in theaters .
The critically acclaimed British television series ran for six seasons (from 2010 to 2015) and unfolded into a feature film that grossed nearly $200 million in 2019. Now, on April 28, a second film has landed in theaters. of cinemas in Brazil.
“Downton Abbey II: A New Era ” brings back the Crawley family relationships and the experience of its members and servants in the daily life of the large mansion called Downton Abbey – a fictional property that is in Yorkshire county.
This time, new developments take place: after the royal family visit in the first film, a mysterious village in southern France and a film crew at the mansion are the starting points for the plot.
Thus, the feature film brings new scenarios that can be visited in real life and also sheds light on other classic locations from the series and the first film, which include castles and rural mansions with an air of a still aristocratic England.
Curious about where some of the locations from the “Downton Abbey” series and movies are located? Below are the main scenarios used to bring the production to life:
Scenarios used throughout the franchise
highclere castle
Downton Abbey gives its name to the large country estate that is one of the central figures of the entire work – both in the episodes of the series and in the films. In fiction, the mansion is in the English county of Yorkshire, but in real life the building is in Highclere, in the Berkshire region.
Built in 1679, the property has between 250 and 300 rooms, some of which are used for the internal filming of the plot. Down the stairs to the basement and staff quarters is an exhibition on Egyptian culture. The huge site still has gardens initially planted in the 13th century.
Fun Facts: During World War I, Highclere Castle was converted into a hospital for wounded soldiers. During World War II, it was home to children evacuated from London.
Highclere Castle is open to visitors and has different guided tours. For the summer, between July and September, it is charged a fee £20.50 for adults to visit the castle and gardens, as well as £27.50 for admission which includes the Egyptian exhibition.
This year, between September 10th and 11th, visitors can participate in the weekend Magic of the Moviesa party that mimics the pageantry of the 1920s with full costume, entertainment and cuisine of the time.
Highclere Castle, Highclere Park, Newbury RG20 9RN, England. More information on site.
West Wycombe Park
And it’s not just Highclere Castle that serves as the Downton Abbey estate. According to the series’ official page on IMDb, interior scenes from West Wycombe Park, in Buckinghamshire, served as the setting for the Crawley family’s main house.
The site is now a historic village comprising a Palladian house and a landscaped park. The village as a whole includes churches, mausoleum, caves, shops and streets with cottages and inns dating from the 16th to the 18th century.
West Wycombe Park is open to visitors, including the country house, home to the Dashwood family for over 300 years, which sits in a 45-hectare park. This year the place is open from April 3rd and the house from June 1st. tickets tours are £10 for adults – £11 with donation.
West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP14 3AJ, England. More information on site.
Alnwick Castle
Built in the 11th century, Alnwick Castle is a fortress acquired later in the 14th century by the Percy family for the Dukes and Earls of Northumberland. The historic building is located in the town of Alnwick in the county of Northumberland, in the north of England.
Over the centuries, the castle has undergone several restorations. Today, it is open to visitors and was the setting for the series “Downton Abbey” in special Christmas episodes, and was named Brancaster Castle in fiction. It is worth mentioning that the location was also used for filming the first two films of the “Harry Potter” saga.
Visitors can appreciate works of art from an extensive collection belonging to the same family over 700 years. Visits to the castle’s great rooms and a replica of a Napoleonic cannon can be seen, as well as archery and “Quidditch” (a fictional sport in the world of “Harry Potter”) are taught there.
THE entrance to the castle It costs £19.50 for adults. This year, on July 1, the adjacent gardens of the sprawling property will host the event “A Plateful of Poison”, which will take attendees to an evening of tea with terrifying tales.
Alnwick Castle, Alnwick, Northumberland NE66, England. More information on site.
New settings in “Downton Abbey II: A New Age”
Villa Rocabella
“Downton Abbey II: A New Age” leaves England and lands in France, where family members visit a French village inherited by Lady Violet (Maggie Smith). The sumptuous site is eye-catching and exists in real life: it is Villa Rocabella, a property facing the sea in Le Pradet, a commune in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, in the south-east of France.
It was built in 1899 by architect Hans-Georg Tersling in a neoclassical and romantic style, and has served as a place for literary and artistic encounters, as well as being transformed into a children’s holiday center after the Second World War. In the 2000s, the place underwent restorations and since 2020 it belongs to the French entrepreneur JB Rudelle, who transformed the property into a multipurpose place for events, stays and tourist experiences.
Different types of accommodation are offered, such as guest rooms, luxury chalet and even another Mediterranean-style house. Private events can be booked for up to 42 people.
Curiosity : The exterior scenes of Villa Rocabella were actually filmed in England itself, at Wrest Park, a country estate in Bedfordshire. The on-site gardens replace Rocabella’s outdoor spaces, with the “orangerie” (garden structure) serving as a major party sequence from the new film. It is possible to visit the site from £12.90 for adults.
Villa Rocabella, V567 Rue Général Weygand 83220 Le Pradet, France. More information on site / Wrest Park, Silsoe, Bedfordshire MK45 4HR, England. More information on site
Royal Yacht Britannia
The Crawley family leaves for France by boat, but not by boat: the scenes were filmed on the Royal Yacht Britannia, a vessel that was the royal residence for more than 40 years and made almost a thousand state visits with the royal family – especially the Queen Elizabeth II.
The ship was used for official receptions, honeymoons and royal family vacations. According to the boat’s management, the Britannia was, for Britain, a symbol of the Commonwealth and an ambassador that generated billions of pounds in trade deals.
The former royal yacht is now permanently moored in Edinburgh in Scotland, where tourists can visit it as a museum ship for £18.00 full admission.
The Royal Yacht Britannia, Ocean Drive, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6JJ, Scotland. More information on site.
Belchamp Hall
Belchamp Hall is an early 18th century Queen Anne of Great Britain property that stands out for its red brickwork. Attention to spoiler : It was here, in the heart of Suffolk County, that characters Tom Branson (Allen Leech) and Lucy Smith (Tuppence Middleton) walk down the aisle.
According to the film’s supervising location manager, Mark Ellis, in an interview with Time Out, the team had to find a location in England that had a house and church on the same property. Currently, the place can be rented for events and also offers different types of accommodation for stays.
Belchamp Walter, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 7AT, England. More information on site.
The Electric Palace Cinema
Finally, the new film in the franchise introduces the Crawley family to the world of Hollywood cinema when a director decides to shoot a film in the mansion of Downton Abbey. The film’s debut in fiction takes place in a cinema in the county of Yorkshire, where the mansion is supposedly located, but the reality is different: the scenes in “Downton Abbey II” were shot at the Electric Palace Cinema, in Harwich, in the county of Essex.
The small cinema opened in 1911 and is still active. Its ornamental facade remains relatively intact, also containing an entrance hall with a payment box and a small stage and dressing rooms. According to the venue’s official website, the cinema was built in 18 weeks at a cost of £1,500 and the first film shown was “The Battle of Trafalgar and The Death of Nelson”.
King’s Quay St, Harwich CO12 3ER, England. More information on site.
Source: CNN Brasil
