What a piece of Downton Abbey would cost you (2024)

What a piece of Downton Abbey would cost you (1)

By Legacy User

  • What a piece of Downton Abbey would cost you (2)

    Do you have Downton dollars?

    The estate that the Crawley clan calls home is the real-life Highclere Castle, and is estimated to be worth $400 million, according to Movoto LLC. One estimate found it would cost more than $8.3 million annually to pay for life at Downton Abbey.

    The backdrop for the international drama is also the real home of the 8th Earl and Countess of Carnarvon.

    Take a look at what it could cost to live like the Earl of Grantham.

  • Staff

    What a piece of Downton Abbey would cost you (3)

    It would cost $634,050 annually for all those ladies maids, Carson the butler, valets, and more, says 4DX Media Ltd., which runs the website NetVoucherCodes.co.uk.

  • Take a tour

    What a piece of Downton Abbey would cost you (4)

    The castle is open to visitors at certain times of year. Tourists can see the castle, garden, and an Egyptian exhibit located in Highclere’s cellar.

    The Egyptian exhibits includes a collection of antiquities dating back 4,000 years and a recreation of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922.

    The 5th Earl of Carnarvon famously discovered the Tomb of the Egyptian Boy Pharaoh with his archaeological colleague, Howard Carter.

    Tickets for adults range in price from about $8 to $33 depending on how much you want to see.

  • Wedding tiara

    What a piece of Downton Abbey would cost you (5)

    The Georgian Diamond Floral Tiara worn by Mary on her wedding day to Matthew Crawley, from Bentley & Skinner London, is being offered exclusively on 1stdibs.com for $208,750. The tiara is in the form of a garland spray of leaves and floral clusters with pave-set old-cut diamonds throughout. It weighs an estimated total of 45 carats and dates to approximately 1800.

    Clive Kandel, curator of fine jewelry and silver for the website 1stDibs said the tiara can be rented for $2,000 a day with a $200,000 deposit.

  • Wedding dress

    What a piece of Downton Abbey would cost you (6)

    The gown that Lady Mary wore to marry Matthew Crawley cost $6,000 and took eight weeks to produce. It featured delicate rice pearls and Swarovski crystals.

  • Grounds

    What a piece of Downton Abbey would cost you (7)

    Highclere Castle sits amidst 1,000 acres of open space in Yorkshire. It would cost $383,304 annually to maintain the grounds, according to NetVoucherCodes.co.uk.

    The gardens cost another $670,782 to keep up.

  • Cleaning

    What a piece of Downton Abbey would cost you (8)

    Keeping Downton in top shape costs a bundle. NetVoucherCodes.co.uk puts annual cleaning costs at $1.7 million. Keeping the chimneys clear costs $38,330 and maintenance is pegged at more than $2.8 million.

    Pictured: Rose Leslie as Gwen and Siobhan Finneran as O’Brien.

  • Have your wedding Downton

    What a piece of Downton Abbey would cost you (9)

    Highclere Castle is available for weddings, private dining, corporate events, receptions, engagement parties, and private tours, its website said. The venue fee listed on the castle’s wedding page is about $25,000, plus value added tax.

    Pictured are the Crawley sisters on Lady Edith’s wedding day. Sadly, Edith was left at the altar.

  • Tea

    What a piece of Downton Abbey would cost you (10)

    World Market sells an Earl Grey black tea blended with bergamot, orange oil, and vanilla. The Republic of Tea Downton Abbey Tea Tin inspired by the Masterpiece Classic show costs $11.99. World Market also sells a red and white wine with Downton Abbey branding.

    Pictured: Dame Maggie Smith as Violet, the dowager countess of Grantham.

  • Utilities

    What a piece of Downton Abbey would cost you (11)

    Downton cannot live on candlelight alone.

    NetVoucherCodes pegged gas and electric costs at $479,130, oil costs at $958,260, and water costs at $124,574. You can also expect to burn through $45,997 in logs.

    Pictured: Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary.

  • Security and insurance

    What a piece of Downton Abbey would cost you (12)

    To keep the Crawleys safe, you’d have to pay $95,826 on security, according to NetVoucherCodes. On the insurance side, the annual bill would be $335,391.

    Pictured from left to right: Iain Glen as Sir Richard Carlisle, Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary, and Dan Stevens as Matthew Crawley .

  • From the PBS gift shop

    What a piece of Downton Abbey would cost you (13)

    PBS offers tote bags, a puzzle, jewelry, scripts, DVDs, onesies, and more for sale online. The merchandise costs between $13 and $95.

    Pictured from left: Elizabeth McGovern as Lady Grantham, Hugh Bonneville as Lord Grantham, Dan Stevens as Matthew Crawley, Penelope Wilton as Isobel Crawley, Allen Leech as Tom Branson, Jim Carter as Mr. Carson, and Phyllis Logan as Mrs. Hughes.

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What a piece of Downton Abbey would cost you (2024)

FAQs

How much would it cost to run a house like Downton Abbey? ›

Having emptied a casual £72m from your wallet you would need a further £668,200 minimum every year to run and maintain your very own Downton Abbey.

How much was 30 pounds in Downton Abbey? ›

The disgruntled viewer fumed: “Thirty pounds in 1922 was worth just a smidgen under £1,500 today. "According to research, that's the equivalent of Mr Bates' entire yearly wage. Good grief, Fellowes.” Another plot centred on Downton heir Matthew Crawley's message from beyond the grave in the form of a will-type letter.

How much would Downton Abbey cost? ›

How much, in today's money, would it cost to live life in Downton Abbey? Well, a British firm has done the math. It would cost an eye watering £5.2 Million or about $8.3 Million a year to live like the Crawley family!

Is Robert really Lord Grantham's son? ›

Biography. Robert was born in Downton Abbey in 1865. His father was the previous Earl of Grantham and his mother is Violet, Dowager Countess. Robert has one sister, Rosamund, but no brothers.

How much was Cora's dowry? ›

This suggests a dowry of £300,000 or about $491,340. Let us take this figure, then, as a reasonable estimate Cora's fortune — the bulk of which was wasted by Lord Grantham.

How much was 20 in Downton Abbey? ›

Does anyone else find it odd that in Episode 1.02 the Earl gives Charlie Grigg 20 pounds out of his wallet. That's about 1,600 pounds or about $2,700 dollars.

How rich were the Crawleys? ›

Certainly, amassing a fortune—$1.1 billion by our estimates—requires some cunning. So, there's every possibility that the Crawley coffers can be refilled.

How much is Downton Abbey worth today? ›

The incredible Highclere Castle is the heart of the Downton Abbey series. The property, worth around £137million, is the most expensive TV location but is definitely worth the market valuation.

How much did servants get paid in Downton Abbey? ›

Find Your Local Station:
Member of staffYearly wages 1905Translated into 2003 money
Butler£60$5482
Housekeeper£45$4111
Chef£80$7310
Ladies maid£32$2924
8 more rows

How much did Downton Abbey cost per episode? ›

How much does it cost to produce an episode of Downton Abbey? - Quora. Each episode of Downton Abbey reportedly costs an average of £1 million to produce.” For the Americans in the audience, that's about $1.6 million. Sounds like a lot of money, but in the world of TV production $1.6 million is actually a steal.

How much did the actors get paid for Downton Abbey? ›

Now show bosses have reportedly tied Downton's biggest names into mega-bucks contracts to stop them leaving the show. A newspaper reports that leading actors including Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern have been given three-year deals worth £1million each.

How is Downton Abbey saved financially? ›

How? The bailout comes from an unexpected inheritance received by the Downton owner's new son-in-law, Matthew. But it didn't happen without twists and turns that offer useful wisdom about estate planning.

What birth control did Mary Crawley use? ›

Cervical cap is very likely to be the contraceptive that maid Anna Bates buys for her mistress Lady Mary Crawley in the second episode of the fifth serie of the historical drama Downton Abbey. Mary Crawley is inspired by the book Married Love, from Marie Stopes.

Why did Cora poison Lord Grantham? ›

This is Cora's long-term revenge on her husband. She knows that Thomas is the illegitimate son of O'Brien and Lord Grantham – and the rightful heir to the house. She knows it will kill her husband to see an illegitimate child inherit Downton Abbey and she has waited a long time for this moment.

Does Lord Grantham cheat on Cora? ›

And despite the fact that Cora has not technically engaged in an affair, even just the perception of infidelity has sent Lord Grantham into a spiral. Meanwhile, his past infidelities with former maid Jane Moorsum are almost all but forgotten.

How much does Highclere Castle cost to run? ›

However, the larger the home, the more it costs to maintain, and the Highclere Castle estate is said to cost upwards of £1 million annually to run, with this fee predominantly covered by tourism.

Do any houses like Downton Abbey still exist? ›

HIGHCLERE CASTLE

Rather than the fictional Crawley family, it's been the real 'seat' of the Earls of Carnarvon since the 1600's, with the current Earl and Countess still in residence today.

How much does it cost to maintain Highclere Castle? ›

The television show has brought worldwide fame to Highclere Castle (which Lady Carnarvon's husband's family has owned since the late 17th century), especially among what she calls “lots of lovely Americans.” But the house costs $1.5 million a year to run, and it has not received the windfall that viewers of the show ...

How much did it cost to rent Highclere Castle for Downton Abbey? ›

For all the fame it brought Highclere, Carnarvon says the fee for the production of Downton Abbey 'was just enough to keep me in cappuccinos' – meaning not a lot (one estimate puts it at about £5,000 a day).

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