Yet Another Article

Yes, this is yet another article about my favourite television series Downton Abbey. “What else could she possibly write about?” I can hear you asking. Every time I think about the series, I think of something different to write about. So who or what shall we read about in this article? To be honest with you, I start off with someone in mind and then --- just let my mind (or the article) guide me.

Again, for those of you who may never have seen one episode, Downton Abbey is a fictional story set in the years between 1912 - 1926, ‘showcasing’ the aristocratic Crowley family along with their servants in the post-Edwardian era. The series highlights events and how they affected people’s lives. For example, the series starts with the sinking of the Titanic and that Lord Grantham’s heirs died in the tragedy.

“War has a way of distinguishing between the things that matter and the things that don’t”. The portrayal of the First World War is “spot on”! I got caught up in the story when Matthew Crawley went to fight in “The Great War” and I began to understand (perhaps for the first time) how people looked at the War and what they were hoping it would accomplish. It was called “the War to end all Wars” but as we now know, it was just the First World War. So who is Matthew Crawley who said the above words?

Matthew Reginald Crawley is a lawyer from Manchester and who now becomes heir to the title of the Earls of Grantham. He moved to Downton with his mother, Isobel, to start his new life amongst the aristocracy. Coming from an upper-middle-class background, Matthew finds his new life very difficult to adjust to. He sees no need for a butler or a valet when they managed perfectly well before with just a cook and a maid. However, being the heir means that he has to learn to accept ‘this way of doing things’.

Matthew clashed with Lady Mary Crawley (the eldest daughter of Lord Grantham) and the two young people soon fall in love and marry in 1920. He ‘bails out’ Downton Abbey with money that was left him in a will and has a tough time trying to modernize the way the estate is run. Together with Tom (his brother-in-law), Matthew finally manages to get Robert (his father-in-law) on side, and the estate starts to support itself.

Having fought in the Great War and being badly injured, Matthew worries when Mary doesn’t fall pregnant. However, it turns out that after a small operation on Mary, the couple soon become excited over their long-awaited child. Mary gives birth in the Village Hospital where Matthew meets his new-born son and heir to Downton Abbey.On his way home from the hospital, Matthew has a fatal car accident, dying on the spot. The actor Dan Stevens plays Matthew Crawley to perfection, and was only written out of the series because Dan had other opportunities he wanted to pursue. However, Dan is still ‘apologizing’ for leaving Downton Abbey!

“Downstairs”, Carson the butler rules the domestic servants. Carson arrived in Downton Abbey at 19 years of age as a Second Footman where he worked (extremely hard) his way up the ladder to butler. We see Carson ‘perform’ his duties as the butler but we also learn a little about his life before going into Service. Carson used to be part of a ‘double-act’ on the stage and his old partner, Charles Grigg, turns up twice in the story, which embarrasses Carson who does not recall the memory with any great nostalgia.

Carson has served the Crawleys for a longtime and ‘saw’ all three daughters ‘born’ at Downton Abbey. His favourite is Lady Mary, possibly because she showed great spirit as a child, whereas the other two daughters are much gentler. Carson ‘sees’ many episodes being butler but because he is the height of discretion, Lord Grantham completely trusts Carson. When life starts to change, especially after the Great War, Carson lingers back to the more traditional days, resisting change as much as he can. One example of this is when Lord Grantham hired a radio and Carson ‘showed’ his disapproval, even to the Lord.

Having worked so closely with Mrs.Hughes (the housekeeper), it is no surprise that the two fall in love and marry in 1925. Six months later, Carson resigns, suffering from palsy, and Thomas Barrow steps in as butler. Living in a cottage on the estate, Charles Carson was still on hand to help out.

Tom Branson, the chauffeur, is an Irish socialist whose main interests start off as history and politics. Lord Grantham allows Branson to borrow books from the library and is, at first, amused at some of the ‘political’ books Branson reads. This is until Branson and Lady Sybil (the youngest daughter) fall in love and Lord Grantham “will not allow my daughter to throw away her life!” The divide between the two classes is tremendous and it looks impossible for the couple to be together.

Lady Sybil is willful, having her own spirit, first showing this when she trains and becomes a nurse during World War One. She does not care about the great class divide and refuses to give up Branson. The young couple marry in Ireland and Lady Sybil’s family, especially her father, eventually come round to the idea that Lady Sybil is actually happy. The couple come over to Downton Abbey when Lady Sybil is six months pregnant. She gives birth at the Abbey but dies in childbirth. Branson is heart broken but finds comfort in their new-born daughter. The family take Branson in as they all share their grief, and Branson, eventually, makes his home at Downton, although he never actually becomes “one of them”. Branson becomes the Estate Manager after Matthew dies, and Downton Abbey starts to support itself.

An important ‘character’ is the Castle itself. Highclere Castle was used in the filming and is the home of the very real Earl of Carnarvon. The Castle was built in 1679 and renovated in the 1840’s and is an estate of 5,000-acres. The house, Egyptian exhibition and gardens are open to the public during certain times of the year. Highclere Castle has a very long and distinguished history and was used as ‘a hospital for the war wounded’ during World War One, with the then Lady Carnarvon helping to organize things and being a nurse herself.

The 5th Earl was an enthusiastic amateur Egyptologist, collecting many Egyptian artifacts. He even employed Howard Carter in the search of the tomb of Tutankhamun. During World War Two, the Castle was used to provide a home for evacuee children. In 2009, the Castle needed major repairs, the coat was estimated at around £12 million. Filming Downton Abbey brought Highclere Castle international fame and the increase in ‘paying visitors’ has helped to support the upkeep of the Castle. Filming in the beautiful rooms with the original furniture and decor makes Downton Abbey really authentic.

The “costumes” used in Downton Abbey are exquisite. This Era was and became a very ‘sensible’ fashion mainly due to the First World War. Women wanted to be independent and to have their own lives, and Madame Fashion (for once) bowed to these ladies. The dresses of the Victorians were (and still are) beautiful to look at but incredibly impractical, whereas by the time Edward VII came to the throne, women’s clothing became more easier to wear and work in, and during World War One, the clothes that women wore changed at a dizzying pace.

The Dowager Countess, being used to being a leading lady of fashion, carries on wearing the Edwardian dress of corsets, gloves and hats. Her granddaughters, however, ‘move’ with their generation --- Lady Sybil was bohemian in style, Lady Edith changed her style to ‘modern’ with her hair style and clothes adapting to working but still stylish enough to catch a husband, and Lady Mary is sophisticated and elegant in style. Susannah Buxton was the fashion designer on Downton Abbey and was nominated for an Emmy for the costume design.

I think I’d better stop here and do a separate article on “The Costumes of Downton Abbey” (if I don’t get sidetracked!) Loving all things Edwardian, I just keep on learning every time I watch another episode for the 15th time. Sorry, I hope I’m not boring you but, you know, history is never boring!

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Thanks for reading folks x