![]() ![]() The Downton Abbey movie's historical accuracy is perhaps most true to history as we watch Mary Crawley (Michelle Dockery) discuss the fate of her family's country estate. Yes, at least in the way they had previously operated. ![]() ![]() The ball scene toward the end of the movie was shot there. Wentworth Woodhouse (pictured below) does make an appearance in the film. One obvious link between the Wentworth Woodhouse estate and the fictional Downton Abbey is that they are both located in Yorkshire (though the real-life shooting location for Downton Abbey is Highclere Castle in Hampshire). In the movie, they spend only two nights at the fictitious Downton, but in real life, they spent four nights at Wentworth. ![]() On the final night of their visit, roughly 25,000 people gathered on the great lawn at Wentworth Woodhouse to show their appreciation for the King and Queen's compassion. The monarchs halted their plans and went to the site to comfort those who were grieving. The explosion happened on the second day of their stay at Wentworth. However, their visit to Wentworth Woodhouse took place years earlier than the film's setting of 1927 (it happened in 1912, the same year the events in the TV series began), and it was overshadowed by the Cadeby Main Colliery (coal mine) explosion on Jthat killed almost 100 people. Right: The monarchs are depicted in 1927 in the movie and are portrayed by Simon Jones and Geraldine James. Left: Queen Mary and King George V pictured in August 1926. While there, the King and Queen watched a performance by Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova, filled up on a 13-course dinner, and enjoyed an extravagant ball (the movie concludes with a ball in honor of the King and Queen). Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes has said that he largely based the royal visit in the film on King George and Queen Mary's July 8-12, 1912 visit to Wentworth Woodhouse, the largest private residence in the United Kingdom and one of the largest estates in Europe. The royals depicted in the Downton Abbey movie, King George V and Queen Mary, would also spend time at countryside estates, often so that the King could go hunting. However, in the early 1900s, King Edward VII would attend weekend house parties and stay overnight in his hosts' homes, often bringing his mistress. Over time, such visits became less frequent due to their costliness. For example, in the 16th century, Queen Elizabeth I would embark on tours around the countryside known as the royal progress. Throughout history, there are records of British monarchs visiting the country estates of aristocratic families. Would King George V and Queen Mary really stay overnight at estates like Downton Abbey? ![]()
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December 2022
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