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Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey

The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle

Author The Countess of Carnarvon
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Paperback
$18.00 US
Crown
5.14"W x 7.97"H x 0.93"D   | 12 oz | 24 per carton
On sale Dec 27, 2011 | 336 Pages | 9780770435622
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The real-life inspiration and setting for the Emmy Award-winning Downton Abbey, Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey tells the story behind Highclere Castle and the life of one of its most famous inhabitants, Lady Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon.

Drawing on a rich store of materials from the archives of Highclere Castle, including diaries, letters, and photographs, the current Lady Carnarvon has written a transporting story of this fabled home on the brink of war. Much like her Masterpiece Classic counterpart, Lady Cora Crawley, Lady Almina was the daughter of a wealthy industrialist, Alfred de Rothschild, who married his daughter off at a young age, her dowry serving as the crucial link in the effort to preserve the Earl of Carnarvon's ancestral home. Throwing open the doors of Highclere Castle to tend to the wounded of World War I, Lady Almina distinguished herself as a brave and remarkable woman.

This rich tale contrasts the splendor of Edwardian life in a great house against the backdrop of the First World War and offers an inspiring and revealing picture of the woman at the center of the history of Highclere Castle.

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“Almina was a woman of great charm and courage.”
—New York Times Book Review

“The more interesting and entertaining book is Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle. Written by the castle's current countess, Lady Fiona Carnarvon, the Eighth Countess of Carnarvon and great-granddaughter-in-law of Lady Almina, the book is a fascinating look at the woman of the house who turned her castle into a hospital for wounded British soldiers returning from World War I. (It corresponds perfectly with this season's war story line on Downton Abbey.)”
—USA Today

“Gives the juicy backstory behind last year's Emmy-winning 'Masterpiece Theater' drama.”
—New York Times

“If you can’t wait for the new season of ‘Downton Abbey’...this one’s for you....a revealing portrait of the changing times.”
—New York Post
 
“[A] fascinating insight into how the seriously rich once lived.”
—Newsweek Daily Beast
 
“The present Lady Carnarvon, who tapped the family archives for her comprehensive research, dramatically captures the estate during the pre-war and war years, and paints a compelling...portrait of Lady Almina.”
—Newark Star-Ledger
© Tobi Corney Photography
Fiona, 8th Countess of Carnarvon, is the wife of Geordie, 8th Earl of Carnarvon.

She is an alumna of St Andrews University, a former auditor for Coopers & Lybrand accountants and created her own clothes brand in the 1990s. She and her husband and son live 'quietly' with eight dogs, too many horses, a brood of chickens, a number of bee hives and some rare breed pigs, amongst the normal farm animals in the farm and landscape of Highclere Castle today.

Fascinated by the inhabitants of Highclere Castle as well as its past, Lady Carnarvon reveals its history, stories and recipes in Seasons at Highclere, Christmas at Highclere and At Home at Highclere. She is also the author of the New York Times bestsellers Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey and Lady Catherine and the Real Downton Abbey. View titles by The Countess of Carnarvon
Prologue

This is a book about an extraordinary woman called Almina Carnarvon, the family into which she married, the Castle that became her home, the people who worked there, and the transformation of the Castle when it became a hospital for wounded soldiers during the First World War.

It is not a history, although it is set against the exuberance of the Edwardian period, the sombre gravity of the Great War and the early years of recovery after the conflict.

It is neither a biography nor a work of fi ction, but places characters in historical settings, as identifi ed from letters, diaries, visitor books and household accounts written at the time.

Almina Carnarvon was an enormously wealthy heiress, the illegitimate daughter of Alfred de Rothschild. She was contracted in marriage to the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, a key player in Edwardian society in Britain. His interests were many and eclectic. He loved books and travel and pursued every opportunity to explore the technologies that were transforming his age. Most famously he discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun with Howard Carter.

Almina was an unbelievably generous woman in spirit and with her money. She was a guest at some of the greatest royal pageants, until—as it did for so many people—the First World War transformed her life, involving her in running hospitals instead of great house parties and showing her to be an adept nurse and skilled healer.

Highclere Castle is still home to the Earls of Carnarvon. Via its television alter ego, Downton Abbey, it is known to millions of people as the setting for a drama that has thrilled viewers in more than a hundred countries around the world. 

Living here for the past twelve years, I have come to know the bones and stones of the Castle. My research has revealed some of the stories of the fascinating people who lived here, but there is so much more. My journey has just started.

The Countess of Carnarvon
Copyright © 2011 by The Countess of Carnarvon. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

About

The real-life inspiration and setting for the Emmy Award-winning Downton Abbey, Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey tells the story behind Highclere Castle and the life of one of its most famous inhabitants, Lady Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon.

Drawing on a rich store of materials from the archives of Highclere Castle, including diaries, letters, and photographs, the current Lady Carnarvon has written a transporting story of this fabled home on the brink of war. Much like her Masterpiece Classic counterpart, Lady Cora Crawley, Lady Almina was the daughter of a wealthy industrialist, Alfred de Rothschild, who married his daughter off at a young age, her dowry serving as the crucial link in the effort to preserve the Earl of Carnarvon's ancestral home. Throwing open the doors of Highclere Castle to tend to the wounded of World War I, Lady Almina distinguished herself as a brave and remarkable woman.

This rich tale contrasts the splendor of Edwardian life in a great house against the backdrop of the First World War and offers an inspiring and revealing picture of the woman at the center of the history of Highclere Castle.

Praise

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“Almina was a woman of great charm and courage.”
—New York Times Book Review

“The more interesting and entertaining book is Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle. Written by the castle's current countess, Lady Fiona Carnarvon, the Eighth Countess of Carnarvon and great-granddaughter-in-law of Lady Almina, the book is a fascinating look at the woman of the house who turned her castle into a hospital for wounded British soldiers returning from World War I. (It corresponds perfectly with this season's war story line on Downton Abbey.)”
—USA Today

“Gives the juicy backstory behind last year's Emmy-winning 'Masterpiece Theater' drama.”
—New York Times

“If you can’t wait for the new season of ‘Downton Abbey’...this one’s for you....a revealing portrait of the changing times.”
—New York Post
 
“[A] fascinating insight into how the seriously rich once lived.”
—Newsweek Daily Beast
 
“The present Lady Carnarvon, who tapped the family archives for her comprehensive research, dramatically captures the estate during the pre-war and war years, and paints a compelling...portrait of Lady Almina.”
—Newark Star-Ledger

Author

© Tobi Corney Photography
Fiona, 8th Countess of Carnarvon, is the wife of Geordie, 8th Earl of Carnarvon.

She is an alumna of St Andrews University, a former auditor for Coopers & Lybrand accountants and created her own clothes brand in the 1990s. She and her husband and son live 'quietly' with eight dogs, too many horses, a brood of chickens, a number of bee hives and some rare breed pigs, amongst the normal farm animals in the farm and landscape of Highclere Castle today.

Fascinated by the inhabitants of Highclere Castle as well as its past, Lady Carnarvon reveals its history, stories and recipes in Seasons at Highclere, Christmas at Highclere and At Home at Highclere. She is also the author of the New York Times bestsellers Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey and Lady Catherine and the Real Downton Abbey. View titles by The Countess of Carnarvon

Excerpt

Prologue

This is a book about an extraordinary woman called Almina Carnarvon, the family into which she married, the Castle that became her home, the people who worked there, and the transformation of the Castle when it became a hospital for wounded soldiers during the First World War.

It is not a history, although it is set against the exuberance of the Edwardian period, the sombre gravity of the Great War and the early years of recovery after the conflict.

It is neither a biography nor a work of fi ction, but places characters in historical settings, as identifi ed from letters, diaries, visitor books and household accounts written at the time.

Almina Carnarvon was an enormously wealthy heiress, the illegitimate daughter of Alfred de Rothschild. She was contracted in marriage to the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, a key player in Edwardian society in Britain. His interests were many and eclectic. He loved books and travel and pursued every opportunity to explore the technologies that were transforming his age. Most famously he discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun with Howard Carter.

Almina was an unbelievably generous woman in spirit and with her money. She was a guest at some of the greatest royal pageants, until—as it did for so many people—the First World War transformed her life, involving her in running hospitals instead of great house parties and showing her to be an adept nurse and skilled healer.

Highclere Castle is still home to the Earls of Carnarvon. Via its television alter ego, Downton Abbey, it is known to millions of people as the setting for a drama that has thrilled viewers in more than a hundred countries around the world. 

Living here for the past twelve years, I have come to know the bones and stones of the Castle. My research has revealed some of the stories of the fascinating people who lived here, but there is so much more. My journey has just started.

The Countess of Carnarvon
Copyright © 2011 by The Countess of Carnarvon. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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