Downton Abbey - the TV drama - will soon resume broadcasting. We have discussed the costuming and use of laces on Arachne, so I thought some of you would be interested in a fascinating biography about the real family that lived on the property that is used as the setting: "Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey - the Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle" by the 8th Countess of Carnarvon. My copy is a paperback, ISBN 978-0-7704-3562-2, $16 in the U.S. Generously illustrated with many photos. Hardcover was published in Great Britain in 2011. Lady Almina was the 5th Countess of Carnarvon. This is the real story of the Downton Abbey time period at the real Highclere Castle. It was a very young Almina Victoria Marie Alexandra Wombwell who brought great Rothschild wealth to the rescue upon her 1895 marriage to the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert. It was this wealth that financed the expeditions in Egypt (with Howard Carter) that unearthed the tomb of Tutankhamun. Some real names have been reused, but for different persons/roles in Downton Abbey. Highclere was really used as a hospital during World War I. The biography is much more exciting (I think) than the TV drama. There are only brief mentions of lace - the most important being "Almina's dress was made of the richest duchesse satin with a full court train and draped in a veil of lace caught up on one shoulder. The skirts were threaded with real orange flowers and Almina was wearing a gift from the bridegroom: a piece of very old and extremely rare French lace that had been incorporated into the dress." About a dozen years ago, I had the good fortune to tour Highclere Castle, so this book brought back nice memories. I recommend it if you plan to travel in the Newbury area. _www.highclerecastle.co.uk_ (http://www.highclerecastle.co.uk) Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center
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