History Festival VIP Morning
Experience with Guided Tour
At 9am

We are delighted to offer a small number of VIP tickets to include an exclusive early access guided tour of the Castle and a specialist talk in our vintage marquee.

Lord and Lady Carnarvon will welcome VIP guests at 9:00am in the Saloon, at the heart of the Castle before embarking on a guided tour which will take you through the State Rooms, the Gallery and Castle Bedrooms.

After your guided tour you will be invited to our Vintage Marquee on the South Lawn to find “banquet” style seating and tables with a glass of Bucks Fizz and a delicious croissant. You will then be able to enjoy Lady Carnarvon’s illustrated talk about life at Highclere during the years of the Second World War.

Thereafter, you are most welcome to explore the Gardens, Egyptian Exhibition and enjoy the entertainments taking place around the Castle whenever you choose (gates close at 5pm). For Morning VIP ticket holders, the Grounds will open at 8:30am.

For more information about the entertainment taking place over the weekend, please click HERE.

Each VIP ticket holder will receive a signed copy of “Lady Catherine and the Real Downton Abbey” written by Lady Carnarvon. Tickets for the Morning VIP Guided Tour, Talk and Event Admission are £150.  Please note, we are not able to offer reduced rate tickets for concessions for this event option.

PICNIC AFTERNOON TEAS

We are pleased to offer an opportunity to combine your visit to Highclere Castle with our "Picnic Afternoon Tea for Two" - a selection of delicious cakes, scones and sandwiches with a Half Bottle of Joseph Perrier Champagne served in a beautiful box.

We offer a Standard Menu, Vegetarian Menu and a Gluten-Free Menu.

These menu options apply to the entire Picnic Box. We are unable to offer mixed menus within one Box.

We cannot guarantee that our products are either dairy free or nut free. For details on our Menus for "Picnic Afternoon Tea", please click HERE.

If you wish to add a "Picnic Afternoon Tea for Two" box to your order, you can select this add-on option below. Our Picnic Afternoon Tea Boxes are £75 for two people.