Downton Abbey’s 10 most popular filming locations you can visit in the UK

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Downton Abbey is back with a brand new movie and fans are set to see the return of some of the series’ famous filming locations from across the UK as the film, titled A New Era, hits the big screen on Friday.

Betfair Casino has revealed the 10 most popular filming locations from the series that you can visit in the UK.

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Measuring popularity by the number of hashtags each location has racked up on Instagram, Highclere Castle in Hampshire, which fans will recognise as Downton Abbey itself on screen, and Bampton, a scenic Oxfordshire village, are among the 10 most popular filming locations for the series.

Other popular sites available to visit include Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, Harewood House in West Yorkshire and Lincoln Castle in Lincolnshire otherwise known as York Prison where Downton Abbey’s John Bates found himself locked up way back when in season three.

Downtown Abbey's 10 most popular filming locations:

LocationNo. of Instagram hashtagsNo. of Instagram followers
Highclere Castle54,212327,000
Alnwick Castle53,91921,000
Lacock Village51,9154,280
Waddesdon Manor44,79832,500
Harewood House39,34615,500
Beamish Museum39,25149,700
Lincoln Castle30,1348,749
Bampton Village14,915n/a
Inveraray Castle12,1047,578
Wentworth Woodhouse9,38510,300

Highclere Castle, Hampshire (54,212)

Fans will recognise Highclere Castle as Downton Abbey on screen, with the impressive grounds used for both exterior and interior scenes throughout the series and upcoming movie.

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Alnwick Castle, Northumberland (53,919)

Serving up tours for Downton Abbey fans, Alnwick Castle is best known as Brancaster Castle, owned by the Marquess of Hexham, and featured in two Christmas specials for the series.

Lacock Village, Wiltshire (51,915)

The quintessential village of Lacock is a National Trust delight and fans may recognise it from scenes in series six that take place in a livestock market, with the village also featuring regularly in the Downton Abbey movie.

Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire (44,798)

This Buckinghamshire manor was used to shoot the exterior shots of Haxby Hall, a neighbouring estate to the Crawley family, in series two of Downton Abbey.

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Harewood House, West Yorkshire (39,346)

A country house with grand gardens, it’s no surprise Harewood House’s majestic exterior was used in scenes in the first Downton Abbey movie, where Lord and Lady Grantham’s neighbours host a ball.

Beamish Museum, County Durham (39,251)

Beamish Museum is an open-air venue located in County Durham and has been a key location for filming, especially for the first Downton Abbey movie. The real-life time capsule makes for the perfect backdrop, with its period setting and traditional vehicles to help bring the fictional drama to life.

Lincoln Castle, Lincolnshire (30,134)

Cast your minds back to season three and you’ll recognise Lincoln Castle as York Prison where John Bates, played by Brendan Coyle, was incarcerated after being accused of murdering his former wife.

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Bampton Village, Oxfordshire (14,915)

Nothing screams Downton Abbey more than a quaint Oxfordshire village, with Bampton making the perfect setting for the period drama. Bampton features heavily throughout the series, with Churchgate House featuring as the home of Isobel Crawley.

Inveraray Castle, Scotland (12,104)

Inveraray Castle made its grand debut in the 2012 Christmas special of Downton Abbey when the Grantham family travelled up to Scotland to visit the Marquess of Flintshire, with all the action from the episode taking place in the castle and its grounds.

While it may make for quite a view, the stately home of Wentworth Woodhouse was actually used for its stunning interiors and many of the inside ballroom scenes for the first movie were filmed here.