Julie Tremaine is a contributing writer at PEOPLE. She has been at PEOPLE since 2022. Her work has previously appeared in Food and Wine, Travel + Leisure, Vulture, CNN Travel, Glamour, and Marie Claire.
In the renowned period drama Downton Abbey, the grand establishment that portrays the Crawley family's manor home is as much of a character on the show as the family members and their servants are.
Downton Abbey, one of the most critically acclaimed British dramas, followed the Crawley family through the 1910s and 1920s, including Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery); her father, Robert Crawley, 7th Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville); her mother, Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern); her sister, Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael); and her grandmother, Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham (Maggie Smith).
The series ran for six seasons from 2010 to 2015, and it has since had two theatrical releases, 2019's Downton Abbey and 2022's Downton Abbey: A New Era. The third movie, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, will debut in theaters on Sept. 12, starring Paul Giamatti, Dominic West and Alessandro Nivola, in addition to most of the regular cast of the show.
While Downton Abbey isn't an actual place, the castle where the show filmed -- as well as other filming locations -- are real, and several are open to visitors.
The home of the Crawley family, Downton Abbey, is represented by Highclere Castle, a 17th-century estate that has been a longtime home of the Carnarvons.
After the site's profile rose, it opened its doors to the world, offering guests tours of the castle and gardens year-round. There are also holiday-themed walk-throughs and lodges on the estate where fans can stay.
"At the start, my team traveled all over the country looking at hundreds of different houses," Downton Abbey location manager Mark Ellis told Condé Nast Traveler in 2019. "What's amazing is, Highclere Castle was the first house they ever went to! They then went all over England, but in the end they decided the first was pretty great. How could you not?"
Today, Lord and Lady Carnarvon have even launched their own spirits brand, Highclere Gin, made with botanicals from the orangery on the estate; during the pandemic lockdown, Lady Carnarvon hosted virtual happy hours promoting the gin that went viral. PEOPLE attended a tasting at Highclere in 2024, just after filming for the forthcoming film wrapped.
"I love this house," Lady Carnarvon told The Telegraph ahead of the show's debut in 2010. "It's distinctive. I think of it as masculine. It's a strong house, not a pretty house. And it's been in my husband's family since 1679."
Location: Bampton, Oxfordshire, England
When the characters break away from the estate, they head into Downton Village, which in real life is the village of Bampton in Oxfordshire, in England's famed Cotswolds.
The medieval village's old Grammar School Building served as a hospital on the show, where Dr. Richard Clarkson (David Robb) worked. It was later turned into a local history museum.
An old rectory, Churchgate House, stood in for the home of Isobel (Penelope Wilton) and Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens).
Meanwhile, St. Mary's Church was the setting for pivotal scenes, including weddings.
Location: Basildon Park, Berkshire, England
The Crawleys would head to their London home, Grantham House, for special occasions. The only thing is that Basildon Park, the real location of Grantham House, isn't in London at all; it's in rural Berkshire.
The 18th-century estate was commissioned by the British government, and it had an uncertain future afterward before it was rescued by preservationists in the 1950s.
Decades later, Basildon Park's reception rooms were featured in Downton Abbey for the season 4 Christmas special. The site was also revisited when Lady Rose MacClare was preparing for her debutante and later when she married Atticus Aldridge in season 5.
Downton Abbey wasn't the only great British show to film at Grantham House -- it was also a shooting location for Bridgerton. Today, Basildon Park is open for tours and is popular on screen.
Location: Lancaster House, London, England
The show couldn't film in the real Buckingham Palace for Lady Rose's debutante presentation, so it went with the next best thing: Lancaster House, an 1825 manor close to the real palace, with an opulent interior for royalty.
It has also been the filming location for several productions, including National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Lancaster House is available to book for events.
Location: Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, England
When the family travels to meet Lady Rose’s in-laws, they head to Brancaster Castle, which in reality is Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, in the north of England, close to the border of Scotland.
Several important episodes were filmed at the historic spot. According to its website, the Downton Abbey cast shot during the summer of 2014 for the season 5 finale. They later returned the following year to film the series finale.
The filmmakers used the grounds, the castle's state rooms, and Hulne Abbey on the property. The castle, which has been in the Percy family since 1309 and is home to the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland;, is open daily for tours.
Location: The Ritz, London, England
The ultra-chic Ritz Hotel opened in London in 1906, and two decades later, when Edith reunites with her former flame in the last episode of the show, it would have looked about as opulent as it did in its earliest days.
Edith and Bertie Pelham (Harry Hadden-Paton) dine together at the stunning Palm Court, which first opened in 1906. Today, the hotel is open for booking but is also a popular destination for dinner or afternoon tea.