Tea at Trianon: The "Downton Abbey" Hotel

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Thursday, January 8, 2015

The "Downton Abbey" Hotel

From Traveler:

Highclere Castle, the English country estate where Downton Abbey is filmed, will be opening an on-site hotel called London Lodge. (Despite the name, the castle and its hotel are in Newbury, West Berkshire, not in London.) The estate, built in 1793, is home to the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon and has already been open to tourists for some time—there are organized Downton-themed tours that take tourists to see the building and grounds. But this will mark the first time that visitors can stay overnight there.

London Lodge is a smaller property near Highclere Castle on the estate. The process of opening the lodge took two and a half years. Like many old houses, Highclere suffered from some wear and tear over the years and needed some repairs, including a much-needed new roof. And while the period charm is intact, there are modern amenities in the hotel rooms, including TVs, Wi-Fi, mini-fridges, and (of course) electric kettles perfect for making that cuppa.

Season five of Downton Abbey has already aired in Britain but will premiere in the U.S. on January 4. Rooms at London Lodge begin at £350 ($540) per night. (Read more.)