Well, i’m a month into my new job and i’ve gotta say im finding it incredibly challenging. I hope though that in a few months time i will feel more comfortable within the role and be able to do it without thinking!
As it’s been such a busy month i simply had to take some time out. I had three days off this week just gone and so decided to go home for a few days. As it turns out i didn’t get the rest i wanted at all. Sleeping on the sofa wasn’t the most comfortable it has to be said, but at least i was away from Nottingham and able to put work away… or at least i tried. It turns out that my new role is all encompassing and thus didn’t really stop work due to having to respond to emails and such.
Within my three days i did however get to see lots of people and parents took my town Highclere Castle which is where they film the runaway television hit Downton Abby!
I’ve always wanted to go since it first started as the house looked so amazing and so it was great to have the opportunity to go. It was a hideous day in terms of the weather! It threw it down with rain all day and so we didn’t get the opportunity to walk about the gardens which was a shame but the house didn’t look any less grand! Its a beautiful building and is a lot small then it looks on television. Though i get thats the trick of TV with lighting and such.
A lot of the show is filmed in and around the house of which you were able to walk around freely. Strictly NO photography inside which was a shame but it was fun to walk around the halls and room where Lord Grantham and the rest of his family reside.
Highclere Castle is the home of the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon now whom still live in the house and it was interesting to see all there belongings in amongst the antiques of centuries past. “The Castle was the seat, 100 years ago, of the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, who famously discovered the Tomb of the Egyptian Boy Pharaoh, Tutankhamun, in 1922 with his archaeological colleague, Howard Carter”. There is now an exhibition of Egyptian artifacts within the basements of the house which is great if you like ancient history. It’s nothing spectacular but very well done and massive part of the house’s history. During the excavation items from the house would have been taken and used during the digs. Crockery, furniture and such. If you are a fan of ancient egypt then this is worth a look.
One thing that was a slight disappointment was the cafe and eating areas. I know that they were probably just making do with the options available to them and im sure renovation would cost money and with planning etc… it would have just been nice if it didn’t seem so, thrown together. Maybe having worked in a premium environment and being able to see the potential that a place like this has then i couldn’t help but pick it apart lol But it was nice enough but not a highlight of the day.
The house itself was spectacular and very beautiful. I think i should have been born in that era as i would simply love to have lived in a house like that. Although, you could tell it was haunted to hell!!! So, maybe i wouldn’t be so quick to jump at the chance to live in such a place lol
If you love Downton then being able to walk around the ‘set’ if you will is fantastic and i was trigger happy with my camera. Definitely worth a visit!
