Abhiroop Das
Helmed by Simon Curtis, ‘Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale’ is a period drama film that brings the Crawley family saga to a crescendo by pulling the very core of the narrative onto the main stage. When Mary Crawley gets entangled in a public scandal, she, along with her near and dear ones, faces an imminent fall from grace. This, in turn, leads to a financial crisis, which brings the family closer to collapsing than ever. However, this course of events is challenged by the younger generation who pave the way towards a path of resistance.
New practices and ways of thinking come face-to-face with their older counterparts in this iteration of the story, and the Crawleys get a chance to look back at their journey and learn the most valuable lessons from it. As the final movie in the ‘Downton Abbey’ franchise, the sequel to ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’ also doubles as a study of a particular time and place, which gives a new level of depth to its filming process and choice of locations.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale Filming Locations
Filming for ‘Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale’ took place in England, with Newbury, London, Berkshire, and Buckinghamshire serving as the primary locations. Additionally, the cameras also rolled in Harrogate and Ripon, widening the movie’s cinematic range. Production commenced on 13 May 2024 and wrapped up by August of the same year. As per tradition, the crew adopted an on-site approach, transforming the urban landscapes of the United Kingdom to fit the bill as a period drama.
Newbury, England
From the very beginning of ‘Downton Abbey,’ Highclere Castle, situated at the heart of Highclere Park in Newbury, has served as the primary filming location for the main characters’ residence, and the final movie is no different in this regard. In a conversation with Universal Pictures, actor Laura Carmichael described the feeling of awe that the castle inspires due to its sheer grandeur. She stated, “It’s stunning how it suddenly appears behind green rolling hills, and that initial view is always so impactful and iconic.” Actor Jim Carter is on a similar wavelength and described the castle as a very theatrical piece of architecture. All of these values hold strongly for this fixture, which also appears in other productions, such as ‘Eyes Wide Shut,’ ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,’ and ‘Infinite.’
London, England
The crew also set camp in the capital city of England, London, where 2 Carlton Gardens, situated at South Western 1Y, appears as the background in several major sequences. The building is known for its elegant architectural style, coupled with its proximity to other iconic centers within the city, such as Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square. As such, the place is steeped in culture and history, which ‘Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale’ channels to add to its chronotopic aesthetic. The fixture can also be located in other hit movies and television shows, such as ‘The Return of Sherlock Holmes,’ ‘Cruella,’ and ‘Knowing.’ Furthermore, the city’s colourful palette of moods and tourist hotspots likely acted as further pitstops for the production team.
Berkshire, England
A significant chunk of the filming revolved around Basildon Park, a country house in the ceremonial county of Berkshire. Located in the Lower Basildon region at Reading RG8 9NR, the house and its various elements have a long-term history with the ‘Downton Abbey’ franchise. In earlier seasons, the interiors doubled as the Crawley family’s London home. However, in the final movie, Basildon Park undergoes a significant transformation, with most of its reception rooms being used to add to the world-building of the larger ‘Downton Abbey’ universe. A report by the National Trust of the United Kingdom states that the hall, dining room, and famed octagon room are some of the rooms that show up in the movie, adding their own memorable touches to the story.
Buckinghamshire, England
The production also took control of the ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire, with Claydon House, located in Aylesbury Vale, serving as a core filming location. The crew chose to tape this 18th-century property in light of its historical spirit and old-school architecture. In the final movie, this fixture doubles as Petersfield house, which goes on to host a ball dance ceremony. Claydon House is well known for a particular element in its overall artistry, namely, the “singing staircase,” which is designed to rustle as visitors pass by.
While the sonic augmentation is inventive in its own right, using the staircase is not recommended due to its fragility. However, the cast took special precautions, including soft-soled shoes, to ensure continuous structure usage during production. The building is perfectly capable of transporting the audience back in time, which explains why it has been a prominent filming location for titles such as ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’ and ‘Emma.’
Harrogate, England
Filming extended to the town of Harrogate, located in North Yorkshire. In particular, the place became a shooting hub due to the Great Yorkshire County Show, which the creators intended to capture. Hugh Bonneville, who essays the role of Robert Crawley, talked about his experience of being involved in the amusement event, which was shot in the Great Yorkshire County Showground, situated at Railway Road. Its large expanse, coupled with the cultural and celebratory theme, gave the scenes their cinematic scale and the perfect look to match the movie’s temporal setting. The creators took special care in adding a cinematic aspect to their rendition, capturing as many details as possible to give the scenes an air of realism.
Ripon, England
In addition to the sequences lensed at Harrogate, the crew also tapped into the cathedral city of Ripon in North Yorkshire. They zoomed in on the iconic Ripon Horse Racing Course, located at Ripon Race Company Ltd, 77 North Street, which goes on to become one of the most thrilling sequences in ‘Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.’ Harry Hadden-Paton, the actor who plays Bertie Pelham in the film, commented on the shooting in Ripon, saying, “The sound of hooves, the speed of the horses, crowds, the hundreds and hundreds of extras is unlike anything.” As such, the crew’s commitment to using real extras and practical effects instead of sets and graphics shows the lengths they are willing to go for creative satisfaction.
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