Secrets of Downton Abbey's Highclere Castle revealed at South Regional Library tea social

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Local fans of the Emmy Award-winning PBS masterpiece “Downton Abbey”, were taken on a tour of Highclere Castle where the historical drama is filmed, sponsored by the South Regional Library, Saturday, January 4.

“The Secrets of Highclere Castle” film featured tour guides, Lady Fiona, the Countess of Carnarvon, and her husband, Geordie, the Eighth Earl, the current heirs of the estate. The true stories they shared rival those depicted in the series which is based loosely on their ancestors who inhabited the castle.

The film was preceded by a discussion of the book, "Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey, The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle", written by Lady Fiona. The book details the splendor of Edwardian life during the Great War (World War I), centered around one of the castles most pivotal characters. The discussion compared and contrasted the book with the television series.

The event featured tea, scones, and tea biscuits, but the highlight of the occasion was the film. It not only took the audience on a tour of the castle in all its grandeur, but provided glimpses of areas never shown in the series, and revealed secrets unknown to the public. Fans can read more about the Carnarvons in Lady Fiona’s sequel titled, "Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey", a later heir in the ancestral link. For those captivated by the series, Season 4 premieres Sunday, January 5, at 8:00 p.m. CST on PBS, Channel 8. More information about the South Regional Library’s services and events visit the link below.