This weekend Andrew and I will be sinking our teeth into the latest season of Downtown Abbey that we recorded last Sunday. I thought I would share the connection to my own Downton Abbey-type estate with you! Here are some photos from when I last visited.
The estate is Lilford Hall, located in Northamptonshire, England. My great-great grandfather, William Smith, worked at the estate for many years as a gardener. The current owners have been very committed to the restoration of the Hall - an ambitious and admirable undertaking.
A postcard of the image above hangs proudly in our upstairs hallway along with a page from Country Life Magazine featuring the property for sale years ago.
A few years ago, I purchased two plots of land in the walled garden to support the restoration project and in remembrance of where my ancestor had once put his hands to the earth. We’ll be heading up there this year in late autumn and I can’t wait.
My ancestor, William Smith, pictured below with his wife, Mary Ann Roberts, outside their cottage in Lilford-cum-Wigsthorpe.
(Photo via, our family's private collection)
Check out Lilford Hall's website for more information on the estate's history and incredible images of the Jacobean architecture! Also, the owner has produced a PBS documentary about its history that you can watch here.
