A New Era Holiday ideas in England

Even after twelve years and a transition from television to cinema, the world of Downton Abbey is still loved by so many people around the world. There’s something so satisfying about the Crawley family and their exploits as the world changes around them – and it’s never been more apparent than in Downton Abbey: A New Erathe second film in the franchise, released today on Blu-ray and DVD.

Realized by Simon Curtis, the film follows the beloved Crawley family as the outside world comes to Downton to shake things up. On the one hand, the Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith) was bequeathed a villa in the south of France by a mysterious benefactor, leading the family on an adventure outside of their comfortable grounds to figure out what it means to the matriarch, and why she would have been left at the property in the first place. venue. Meanwhile, Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) must hold down the fort as a Hollywood film crew comes to the Abbey, only to be dragged into chaos after the world decides the “talkie” movies are here.

COLLIDER VIDEO OF THE DAY

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to travel across England and experience the phenomenal beauty of the world of Downton Abbey? Well, look no further because Collider has your all-access pass. A new era was filmed in a number of stunning locations across the UK and France – including Highclere Castle, the iconic location used for Downton Abbey itself – and Collider was lucky enough to take a trip with Universal Home Entertainment at a number of film locations across England. (No trip to the south of France, but maybe that’s still better for my complexion.)

RELATED: Simon Curtis on the Old Hollywood Movie That Inspired ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’

Check out our full itinerary below and be sure to pick up a copy of Downton Abbey: A New Era on DVD, 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray now to entertain you on the go!


Relax at the Down Hall Hotel & Spa

If you’re going on a trip you’ll need a home base, and what better place to spend your evenings than the Down Hall Hotel and Spa, located in Bishop’s Stortford, about an hour north of London. After landing in the city, take a trip to the Italian-style mansion, where you can relax in style and history, in a former family mansion that will make you feel like true English royalty – suitable for all those looking to immerse themselves in the aristocratic world Downton Abbey.

The building itself was completed in 1873 under the supervision of Lord Rookwood and was used as a hospital, school and conference center throughout the 20th century, but Down Hall’s existence as an estate dates back to Reign. of Edward the Confessor (1042-1066), predating even William the Conqueror in English history. As it stands today, the lobby employs the concept of “polished” architecture popular in the late 19th century, but the stunning chandeliers, portraits, and marble staircases that decorate the hotel are anything but austere. The hotel rooms are comfortable enough to make you feel truly at home, and the estate offers plenty of relaxation options, whether it’s a massage at the Eden Spa or a tour in the estate in their immaculately maintained gardens.


Take a tour of the grounds of the Belchamp room

Clearly, Highclere Castle is the main must-see for any die-hard Downtown fan, but there is another family house that is listed in Downton Abbey: A New Era it is definitely worth seeing if you are passing by. Used as part of exterior reception plans for Tom (Allen Leech) and Lucy’s (Tuppence Middleton) wedding at the start of the film, Belchamp Hall is a stunning Queen Anne period house in Sudbury, near the southeast coast of England. Registered under the Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act 1953, the hall and its grounds have been owned by the Raymond family since 1611 – can you imagine living in the same house like your ancestors?

We were lucky enough to have a picnic on the grounds of the hall, decked out in period tents and decorations and offering a luncheon fit for a lord, but what’s even more interesting was is the structure of the house itself, whose dining room is paneled in Elizabethan timber, with panels taken directly from the Tudor house that once stood on the land where the dining room now stands. Red bricks. Family photos in the living room are accompanied by portraits painted by Cornelius Janssen and Thomas Gainsborough, creating a fascinating mix of old and new.


Learn about history at the Church of St. Mary’s

Directly across from Belchamp Hall is St. Mary’s Church, the venue used for Tom and Lucy’s wedding ceremony. A still-functioning church that was once part of the Belchamp Hall complex, this quaint place of worship is the perfect place for a wedding or just a visit, with its small graveyard filled with older headstones than most people can see. ‘to imagine. Enter through a quaint wooden arch in the side of the building and you’re standing in a space so old you can feel with wooden benches that are probably older than most people sitting there. The oldest parts of the church date back to the 11th century, although most of the structure dates from the 13th century, with stunning stained glass windows and murals which were restored in the 1960s.


Although St. Mary’s is still a working place of worship, it’s also lovely to walk around to feel the history of the place – a history that includes film and television, as the church has been used not only to film the wedding of Tom and Lucy, but also an episode of the British television series lovejoyfeaturing Ian McShanein the late 1980s.

Have an Evening Meal at Home by Hilly Gant

While the meals in Downton Abbey: A New Era are probably more sophisticated and complex than most of us normal tourists can afford, a trip to England wouldn’t be complete without sampling some authentic British cuisine – not the one they sell in the terminal international departures from Heathrow. Housed in a genuine 18th century Grade II listed building, The House By Hilly Gant is the perfect place to stop on your way to and from Downtown-related visits. Opened in 2015 in Braintree and owned by Rob Elythe restaurant celebrates British cuisine and traditional local recipes, with an emphasis on a memorable dining experience led by the head chef Sam McGee.

Open Tuesday through Sunday, The House by Hilly Gant serves a variety of delicious dishes, from risotto and chateaubriand to mussels, pork neck and Sussex halloumi, and also offers a full vegan menu for anyone looking for more. above the typical rate. To celebrate Downtown, of course, we were served a delicious traditional English dinner, with Scotch eggs, fish and chips and sticky toffee pudding, and personally? I’ll be thinking about this meal for months.

Take in the scenery from Wrest Park

If you want to ‘visit’ the South of France but don’t have the budget for that pesky flight across the English Channel, look no further than Wrest Park, an English heritage site in Bedfordshire. Their orangery – a 19th-century greenhouse used to grow oranges – was used as a filming location for the villa party at the end of Downton Abbey: A New Erasubstituting a protected historic site for reality.

But Wrest Park is much more than just an orangery, although its history with the rest of the ground is impressive. The massive house that sits on the ninety-two acre site was built in 1833 by Thomas, 2nd Earl of Grey, after he inherited the site, and although most of it is not open to the public, the rest of the east park. Take a tour through the huge estate and learn the history of the woodland gardens, which were commissioned by Henry, Duke of Kent and finished by his granddaughter Jemima, Marchioness Grey, who hired Capability Brown to create the huge long water pool and remodel the park into the state it exists in today.

Downton Abbey: A New Erafeaturing Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Hugues Dancyand Dominica West, is now streaming on Peacock and available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD wherever physical copies are sold. Check out the box art below:


Comments are closed.