Church in Bampton, filming for Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey fans may recognise this church as the one used in the final episode of Downton Abbey where they had the funeral of Matthew's fiance Lavina.  It is quite a small church, and the churchyard has two very large grooves in it.  One is a "channel" that leads up to the front door, the other channel seems to go to where a door used to be.  The ground is highly mounded up on either side, which is quite unusual and makes some of the gravestones tilt at an angle.

Second location for filming of Downton Abbey

Couldn't resist a photo in front of this house with my name in the village of Bampton.  This village is where some of the filming for Downton Abbey took place.  We visited the church, walked along the lovely lanes, and saw the sign of the "pretend" Grantham Arms, which is permanently left up. 

I'm not sure the hat and outfit is strictly speaking truly Edwardian, but it certainly was adequate for the day, and helped to "get into character."  It certainly raised eyebrows at the motorway service stops enroute to the locations.

Day out at Downton Abbey

Here I am, along with Gorgeous Husband, outside Highclere Castle, the filming site for the Downton Abbey series.  Sorry about the people in the background: they are part of the Australian film crew who were filming us for an Australian TV series.  Apparently it is a serious hit "down under"!

Highclere was actually closed for the season, and was open only by special appointment made on behalf of the Australian film crew.  That is why myself and the rest of the folks on the coach tour, organised by Helen Porter of P and P Tours were dressed in Edwardian costumes.  We got to "play" Lord and Lady for the day!  It really was my "cup of tea": a big house with servants.  Maybe it was me in a past life?!

We watched the final episode of Downton not only following the plot and watching the sumptuous costumes, but also nudging each other, and saying, "that is the staircase where we were filmed.  I remember that fireplace!  There's the hallway that Bates and Anna met up.  And the scene in the entrance where Matthew and Mary had their romantic dance!  Wow!  We had tea there, whilst being interviewed by the host of the Australian TV programme.

Also loved seeing the Egyptian exhibition in the basement of Highclere, as it was Lord Carnarvon who financed the expedition that discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen.  Fantastic artefacts, some of them real, and some replicas from King Tut's tomb.  And we were the only ones there, so could easily pore over the cases and be entralled.  We were only restricted by time, not by hoards of other Egyptian fanciers!

Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photographs inside the house, which I thought was a real shame, as it was a 10 out of 10 in the gorgeousness scale.

Holey Dress!

This is another shop window from the shop Fibre and Clay in Knutsford.  Apparently this dress was a hit at Chelsea Flower Show this past summer.  Well, if you were young and lithe as the model was, I suspect this dress might have been a hit no matter where you wore it! 

I think it might have fit one of my legs, but I didn't try it on!!

Out and About Checking out Da Knitting

Somebody's been busy knitting, and it's not me!  Or at least, I didn't do this.  Actually, from the look of it, it looks more like crochet, if you are one of those people who can tell the difference.

It is a shop window in Knutsford, Cheshire.  This is a great shop called "Fibre and Clay".  It specializes in yummy knitted things and a lot of contemporary pottery/ceramics.  Now, I like the look of a funky tea pot as much as the next person, but I must admit it was the knits that got me.  Aren't those teddy bears cute?

Knutsford is a nice little place; I'd heard about it and thought, "I must go there someday."  The streets and shops were lovely, but I didn't especially like being DIRECTLY under the flight path of airplanes coming in to land at Manchester airport.  When the airplane overhead is so loud you can't speak to the person next to you, and you can physically count the rivets in the undercarriage, I think it's a bit TOO close!  I guess you get used it to if you live there. 

Having tea at Lady Berwick's

Here I am with the cucumber sandwiches and the delicious scones with jam and cream.  How I love being waited on! 

The setting is Attingham Park, near Shrewsbury, in the late 8th Lady Berwick's former dressing room.  The walls are decorated with photos of her in the 1920s.  Very elegant she was too! She was painted by the artist Walter Sickert in 1933 as "The Lady in Blue."

How wonderful to be able to step back in time, if only in our imaginations!!  The hat wasn't strictly necessary, but it I felt the occasion called for it.

An afternoon of elegance at Lady Berwick's tea room

Here I am, ready to have afternoon tea at Lady Berwick's tea room in lovely Attingham Park.  It is a special occasion.  It's my "half birthday".  This is a tradition I started for Gorgeous Husband, whose birthday is near Christmas.  I thought it would be nice for him to have another birthday celebration at the half way point of the year, in order for it not to clash with other festivities.  This is not INSTEAD of his regular birthday, but an addition to it! Now I also get a half birthday.  Why not?!