Friends of Highclere Castle Tour & Afternoon Tea
Saturday 20^th September  2025

Come and join us to celebrate the new Downton Abbey film with a delightful Champagne Afternoon Tea in the State Dining Room. This is a one-off event for Patrons and Friends of  Highclere and is not available to those without memberships.

You will begin your visit with a guided tour of the Castle followed by a Champagne Afternoon Tea in the State Dining Room served by our Butlering team.

You will be welcomed into the Saloon, at the very heart of the Castle where your tour will begin. Our guides will take you through the State Rooms that are so familiar from the TV series and the latest film. Follow in the footsteps of the actors who created the moments you all so enjoy, whilst our guides have exceptional knowledge of the building, artwork and furniture with plenty of anecdotes from the filming.

The tour will also take you round the Gallery and through the Castle Bedrooms. After the tour, you will be invited into the State Dining Room to enjoy a Champagne Afternoon Tea. 

Leaving the Dining Room, the guides will invite you to explore the Egyptian Exhibition in the atmospheric Cellars of the Castle. The Exhibition tells the story of the world-famous discovery, in 1922, of the Tomb of Tutankhamun by the 5^th Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter.

Please choose either the Highclere Traditional Afternoon Tea, Vegetarian Afternoon Tea or Gluten Free Afternoon Tea.  We will be offering a delicious seasonal menu of Chef’s choice.  Menu choice must be made in advance of your visit, we will not be able to accommodate swaps of individual menu items or on the day changes.  Please note that we do not offer a Vegan menu, nor can we guarantee that our products are either DAIRY FREE or NUT FREE.

Tickets are £200 per person which includes a gift bag.  
A reduced-price ticket is available to the Carer of a paying, registered disabled visitor for £135.00.
Please note, this event is available to over 18s only.  Due to the layout of the State Dining Room, tables will be shared with other parties for this experience.

You can purchase tickets for admission at:

• 11:00am
• 1:00pm
• 3:00pm

The Grounds will open for this event at 10am.  Whichever admission slot you choose, you will be able to enjoy a tour of the Castle at this time followed by Afternoon Tea in the State Dining Room.  You are welcome to arrive one hour beforehand or stay later depending on the time of your tour to allow time to enjoy the Gardens and visit the Gift Shop (we suggest 3pm visitors arrive at 2pm to view the Gardens before their tour).  The Grounds will close promptly for this event at 5:30pm.

For further information about  Friends of Highclere please email: [email protected]
Each Patron or Friend of Highclere is entitled to book tickets for this event for themselves plus one guest.