QT Cat Gets Her “Royal On” at Downton Abbey

This little kitty started out as sort of a mascot for my QT quilting group back in Iowa. A gift from my sister-in-law (I think around 1991), she travels with me to places I have been and to many other places that I have only dreamed of going. She’s small and quiet and never complains about the accommodations. Truly I am living out my wanderlust through her.

     This week, in honor of the farewell season of Downton Abbey, we are starting her travel log at Highclere Castle in Hampshire, England. Highclere is the real life home of the 8th Earl of Carnarvon and Lady Carnarvon and serves as the film setting for the highly successful PBS television series Downton Abbey, home of Lord Grantham and his family the Crawleys. The castle is built in the JacobeanQT imagines that she is the resident feline of Downton, no doubt the “queen of the castle!” revival style of architecture and was remodeled in the 1800’s according to a design by Sir Charles Barry who also designed the House of Parliament, thus the similarities. My family traveled to the United Kingdom in the summer of 2014 and were fortunate enough to visit Highclere on a beautifully sunny day. We toured the interior of the castle as well, which was very cool having been big fans of the show, but were not allowed to take any photographs of the interior. The grounds and gardens were breathtaking and now when I watch the show I have quite a different perspective. QT imagines that she is the resident feline of Downton, no doubt the “queen of the castle”, and receives decadent food scraps from Mrs. Patmore’s kitchen in exchange for her services as skilled mouser in such a large home. Then she rests from her excursions sleeping in the sun’s warmth on the settee in the library.

     I highly recommend visiting the castle if you are planning a trip to England. Tours are still open even though the show is no longer filming. But rumor has it there might be a movie! Check out the website highclerecastle.co.uk.