Highclere Castle is home to the set of Downton Abbey and the stunning Christmas decorations are nothing less than spectacular.
The Grade I listed sprawling 400 year old estate, home to George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon, and his wife Fiona, 8th Countess of Carnarvon, is the film set of the award-winning ITV period drama that has starred Hugh Bonneville and Dame Maggie Smith.
Meanwhile Lady Fiona has given a glimpse inside the various festive decorations at the sprawling 5,000 acre estate in Hampshire to the 269,000 Instagram followers of the Highclere Castle account.
The grounds of the castle have been given a festive transformation with real fir trees decked with lights leading up the driveway to the grand country house which has been illuminated ahead of the Christmas tours.
Elsewhere Lady Fiona panned to the wicker reindeer on the lawn along with Christmas trees covered in pretty white baubles, captioned: "If Santa Claus needs any extra reindeer – if any of his main become a little tired – we have a few Dasher’s, Dancer’s, Prancer’s etc to support him."
Lady Fiona, who married George Herbert in 1999, also gave an insight into the reason behind Highclere Castle celebrating Christmas twice throughout the year.
The couple have opted for a gorgeous theme of white and silver for their main Christmas tree in the central atrium of the property.
We can see delicate snowflake ornaments along with silver and white pear-shaped decorations while a huge white star crowns the tree.
However Lady Fiona revealed that the family had two festive seasons during filming for the ITV series and explained: "For five years we had two Christmases here. One which was filmed for Downton in July and another which was our real one in December."
The author also gave an insight into the meaning behind the white theme and said: "Highclere”s theme this year is about lightness, white winter decorations highlighted by frosted pink or blue in some rooms.
"I don’t know how you feel but we wanted to do something to make us smile and feel light and bright, a complete contrast to last year which was deeply Victorian."
Before a team decorated the tree, Lady Fiona filmed the huge tree as it was hauled into position in The Great Hall of the country manor with dozens on hand to position it into place.
Meanwhile the gothic staircase has been decked with garlands and white ribbon to complement the colour scheme and tie the theme together.
The Music Room has also been given a touch of festive sparkle with a miniature faux tree, which has been covered in pretty white and pale pink baubles, along with a garland and frosted flower displays for their guests.
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