Highclere Castle

Highclere Castle is an 18th-century mansion, originally plain in design, arranged around a central top-lit hall. Between 1839 and 1842, the exterior was extensively refaced in an Elizabethan style by Sir Charles Barry, inspired by Wollaton Hall. The addition of corner turrets and a prominent off-centre tower creates a resemblance to the Palace of Westminster, Barry’s most famous work.

The castle presents three symmetrical elevations in Bath stone ashlar, three stories high, with a fourth storey for the corner turrets and central features on the north and south fronts. The north (entrance) front has a window arrangement of 1.3.3.3.1. A pierced parapet features strapwork and pinnacles, and the turrets and centrepieces are ornamented with pilasters arranged in ascending orders – Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite – with coupled pilasters and pedestal stages containing panels. The windows are mullioned and transomed, with narrower lights between panels in the turrets and wider spacing on the sides, set within raised panels. A shield sits above the Doric frame of the central doorway. The turrets project slightly and rise above the central attic levels. This pattern is repeated on the south front, but without the doorway.

The east elevation features a recessed centrepiece and a rhythmic arrangement of windows, with a smaller turret incorporated as a niche. A tall tower, two stories above the roofline, rises from the east elevation, elaborately treated with the pilaster design; it appears central on the east, but is offset to the west on the north and south elevations. A lower Tudor brick mansion, with gables and pepperpot turrets and stone detailing, is attached to the west wing and largely concealed by landscaping.

The interior contains several elaborately decorated spaces. The Gothic (Early English) entrance hall is characterised by stone quadripartite vaulting and marble enrichment on clustered columns and flooring, executed by G.E. Butterfield. The main hall, designed by Thomas Allom in 1862, is largely in the Perpendicular style with rich surface decoration, including 16th-century tapestries above Cordoba leather panels. A Gothic staircase occupies the space beneath the tower and leads to an arcaded corridor that encircles the upper level of the hall. The library presents a classical finish, while the Music Room displays a mix of 18th-century decorative elements, likely reconstructed from other parts of the house. The Drawing Room reflects a Rococo style from around 1900.