The 'Downton Abbey' Hotel Is Taking Reservations For 2016

Highclere Castle, used as the main location for Downton Abbey.

Highclere Castle, which plays the role of Downton Abbey on the hit PBS show, is once again opening its doors to overnight visitors.

Updated 12/9/15. Tickets for the spring 2016 opening of Highclere Castle are on sale now. If you want an afternoon tea in the coach house, though, you'll have to book quickly. The Dowager waits for no one.

Highclere Castle, the English country estate where Downton Abbey is filmed, has opened an on-site hotel called London Lodge. (Despite the name, the castle and its hotel are in Newbury, West Berkshire, not in London.) The estate, built in 1793, is home to the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon and has already been open to tourists for some time—there are organized Downton-themed tours that take tourists to see the building and grounds. But this marks the first time that visitors can stay overnight there.

London Lodge is a smaller property near Highclere Castle on the estate. The process of opening the lodge took two and a half years. Like many old houses, Highclere suffered from some wear and tear over the years and needed some repairs, including a much-needed new roof. And while the period charm is intact, there are modern amenities in the hotel rooms, including TVs, Wi-Fi, mini-fridges, and (of course) electric kettles perfect for making that cuppa.

Season six of Downton Abbey has already aired in Britain but will premiere in the U.S. on January 3, 2016. Rooms at London Lodge begin at £350 ($540) per night.

This post originally appeared on December 30, 2014. It has been updated with new information.

Written by Lilit Marcus

 www.cntraveler.com

Love 'Downton Abbey'? Now You Can Stay There

"Downton Abbey" uses Highclere Castle for exterior shots of the fictional Crawley family estate. The TV series portrays an enchanting aristocratic lifestyle.

Downton Abbey, with its snooty aristocrats and even snootier butlers, has never been somewhere for the likes of us.

Until now.

Highclere Castle, the posh British mansion that doubles as Downton in the long-running UK television series, is opening up rooms to paying guests.

Bookings are now being taken for London Lodge, an historic gateway that forms a grand entrance to Highclere's extensive grounds in the countryside west of London.

Built around 1840, the "unique and luxurious" accommodation for two has, according to the estate, been restored over the past two years by the current Earl of Carnarvon and his wife (although they may have had help).

The rooms are split across the two buildings flanking the original gateway built in 1793.

Majestic Victorian castle

On one side there's a kitchen and sitting room arranged around a wood-burning stove.

On the other there's a double bedroom, bathroom and dressing area.

There are no servants quarters, so guests shouldn't expect white-gloved flunkeys delivering their morning newspaper.

And, since it's unlikely to available during filming, there's little chance of being witheringly insulted by the acid-tongued Dowager Duchess of Grantham.

What is on offer is a chance to gaze enviously at one of Britain's most majestic Victorian castles and the surrounding 6,000 acres of parkland.

Situated to the north of the castle, the lodge will be available for Valentine's Day 2015 and for selected weekends through the spring and summer.

There's no need to ask Carson to make the reservation. Weekend stays, priced from $545 per night, can be booked via the castle's website.

Highclere Castle, Newbury, Berkshire; +44 1635 253210

Contributed by Barry Neild, CNN

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