Downton Abbey gardens presentation coming to library
No plane ticket necessary to tour of the gardens at Highclere Castle where Downton Abbey is filmed.
Local garden designer June Mays will give a slideshow presentation from the gardens entitled The Gardens of Downton Abbey – What You Have Always Wanted to See at Homewood Public Library on Sunday, Aug. 23 at 3 p.m. Admission for the 45-minute presentation is $20.
Mays said she will begin by showing an image of the house everyone knows from TV and then introduce those in attendance to the gardens that are about 300 yards from the house. The three gardens on the property are not filmed in the show, in part because filmed take place during cold months when the gardens are not as vibrant.
“The gardens are off limits to the actors, so we never really get to see them,” Mays said. “People are curious about what gardens are actually like, and I wanted people to be able to see the gardens themselves.”
Mays also toured the interior of Highclere Castle on her visit, but photography is not allowed inside.
“The rooms look exactly like the do on TV,” she said. “Everything was exactly the way I remembered it.”
She said the only part of the tour that disappointed her was that the downstairs kitchens were not on it. Those scenes are filmed in a studio because the house now has modern commercial kitchens.
During the presentation, Mays will show photos of the Monks Garden, White Garden and Secret Garden and then close ups of flowers featured in each. She interviewed two gardeners while touring the property on July 20 and will share what they said about caring for them.
Mays will also explain characteristics of Edwardian gardens such as these that were created in England from 1901 to start of World War I. In reaction to those created under Queen Victoria’s reign, the Edwardian era gave way to more romantic lush gardens with a variety of textures and colors.
Mays became a full time garden designer, writer and lecturer in 2005 after retiring from a career as a stockbroker for UBS. She spent a year in London studying garden design.
“I have visited many gardens in the UK, and I never get enough of it,” she said.
Downton Abbey, a period drama set in early 20th century England, airs on PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre. Its sixth and final season will debut in 2016.