Reference
Highclere Castle Facts and Figures
Hours, prices and access verified by the Highclere Castle Tours team — last checked 2026-09-09
The numbers, in tables, so you can find one without reading a page of prose.
The story behind them is on the history page and the building itself is
described on the architecture page.
Dates that matter
| Detail | Figure |
|---|
| First written record of the estate | 749 AD |
| Granted to | the Bishops of Winchester |
| Bought by the Carnarvon line | 1679, by Sir Robert Sawyer |
| Parkland laid out | 1771 |
| Rebuilt as the present castle | 1842 |
| Tutankhamun's tomb opened | 1922 |
| Downton Abbey filming begins | 2010 |
The building
| Detail | Figure |
|---|
| Architect of the 1842 rebuild | Sir Charles Barry, architect of the Houses of Parliament |
| Architectural style | Jacobethan, a Victorian revival of Elizabethan forms |
| Facing material | Bath stone |
| Rooms | between 250 and 300 |
| Building hidden inside it | Highclere Place House, the Georgian house of 1679 |
| Rooms open on a standard tour | the Saloon, the state rooms and some bedrooms |
| Where the Egyptian Exhibition sits | the cellars, down the old servants' stairs |
The park and gardens
| Detail | Figure |
|---|
| Landscape designer | Capability Brown |
| Year the park was laid out | 1771 |
| Surviving 18th-century follies | six |
| Named follies | Jackdaw's Castle, the Etruscan Temple, the Temple of Diana |
| Gardens first cultivated | the 13th century |
| Named gardens today | Monk's Garden, Secret Garden, White Border, Wood of Goodwill, Rose Arbour, Wild Flower Meadow, Healing Herb garden |
| Notable trees | cedars, among the first imported to Britain in the 18th century |
| Prehistoric remains on the estate | an Iron Age fort on Beacon Hill, Bronze Age tumuli, trackways and field systems |
The Egyptian collection
| Detail | Figure |
|---|
| Who funded the excavations | the 5th Earl of Carnarvon |
| Who led them | Howard Carter |
| Years spent working in Egypt | around sixteen |
| Year of the discovery | 1922 |
| Age of the tomb when opened | about 3,500 years |
| Other sites represented | the Valley of the Nobles and the Valley of the Queens |
Downton Abbey
| Detail | Figure |
|---|
| What was filmed here | the exteriors and the main state rooms |
| What was not | the below-stairs kitchens and servants' quarters, built as sets elsewhere |
| Photography inside the castle | not permitted, on any tour |
| Themed weekend the castle runs | Magic of the Movies, in September |
The two world wars
| Detail | Figure |
|---|
| Role in the First World War | a hospital for wounded soldiers |
| Who ran it | the 5th Countess of Carnarvon |
| Role in the Second World War | a home for children evacuated from London |
Two of those figures are worth reading together. The castle has between 250 and 300
rooms and opens to the general public in only two holiday periods a year, which is why the
guided-tour programme exists at all: it is how a house that size earns its keep in the eight
months when the gates are shut to casual visitors.
Visiting, in numbers
| Detail | Figure |
|---|
| Length of the castle and exhibition tour | about 1 hour 30 to 2 hours |
| Suggested time for refreshments | 30 to 45 minutes |
| Suggested time in the gardens | about 45 minutes |
| Morning guided tours begin | 10:30, gathering at the front door by 10:20 |
| Afternoon guided tours begin | 13:30, gathering by 13:20 |
| Grounds close, autumn | 5pm |
| Grounds close, January and February | 4pm, because dusk is early |
| Guests per group on a winter tour | about 20, three groups a day |
| Size at which a booking becomes a group | 30 or more, arranged through the Castle Office |
What it costs and when it opens
| Detail | Figure |
|---|
| Themed guided tour, adult | £145 |
| Themed guided tour, child 4–16, and carers | £85 |
| General admission, 2026 public opening | from £25 |
| Children under four | free, no ticket needed |
| General-admission periods | the Easter holidays and the summer holidays |
| Postcode for sat nav | RG20 9LE, then follow the brown signs |
| Postal address postcode | RG20 9RN |
| Nearest mainline station | Newbury, about 15 minutes by taxi |
Prices and dates move. The ones above were checked against Highclere's own pages on the date
at the top of this page; plan your visit carries the detail, and the
events calendar lists what is currently on sale.
Turn the figures into a day out
Every tour compared on price, length and whether castle entry is in the fare.
Comparing the options takes a minute: start with a private Highclere Castle tour
or a shared day, whichever suits your party. Both are on
Highclere Castle Tours.