Behind the scenes at Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey has been a huge success from the first episode and now it has millions of fans all over the world. Of course there are also books that are tied in with this popular series.
Behind de scenes at Downton Abbey written by Emma Rowley is such a background book, full of information and beautiful photographs.

The amazing Highclere castle models as Dowton, but by now only the outside-scenes are shot there and the scenes in large rooms like the hall or the library.
During the first series they also filmed in the real bedrooms, but this proved to be a little inconvenient, it was too cramped. Now these rooms are carefully rebuilt in the studio’s in Ealing. 

The series has a food specialist who cooks all the meals that are seen in the series. She must make sure the colours will look right on film and the dishes will hold. She will also have to cook a dish multiple times because a scene where Mrs. Patmore cooks a dish may be shot many weeks before the scene where the family eats it.

I love the attention to details, they take care of the labels on the tins in the kitchen and there is somebody who makes sure the letters the earl reads are all written in different handwritings. Thomas Barrow uses a different accent when he talks to the family than when he is down in the kitchen and Anna sometimes wears an altered dress Lady Mary wore in a previous episode, just like real lady’s maids would sometimes receive a dress from their mistress.

I could give many more details, about the wardrobe, the newspapers, the cars, the locations etc, but I really just recommend you buy the book. Behind the scenes at Downton Abbey is a treat and every fan will enjoy this book immensely.

Published in 2013

Pages 278