Chickens at centre of plan to demolish greenhouses at ‘real Downton Abbey'

Telegraph

05-05-2025

Greenhouses at the stately home where Downton Abbey was filmed could be demolished to protect the owner's chickens.
The Highclere Estate in Hampshire has applied to knock down three of the 100-year-old buildings.
One of the reasons put forward for the demolition is that they are 'overrun with vermin', which is said to affect Highclere's flock of poultry.
Chickens owned by the Countess of Carnarvon, which are named after Jane Austen characters, live behind the greenhouses in a run known as Highclutch Castle.
Lady Carnarvon has previously posted on social media about how 'cute' the rare breeds are and appeared in a film saying that the area where the flock live on the estate was 'one of her favourite places'.
The plans intend to ensure the 'future usability and longevity' of the estate, the application claimed.
Every season of the award-winning ITV drama Downton Abbey was filmed at Highclere. Hugh Bonneville, Dame Maggie Smith and Lily James starred in the show that was watched by more than 120 million people worldwide.
The greenhouses, which are not Grade I-listed, are located some distance from the 17th-century castle.
The planning application says the flock – which includes Jane, Lizzie, Kitty, Mary, Lydia and Emma – is at risk because of the 'vermin'. A fourth greenhouse is due to be restored to its original historical appearance.
The greenhouses were built between 1894 and 1909 for agricultural use.
The planning application to Basingstoke and Deane borough council claims: 'The glasshouses that occupy the site are derelict and have fallen into disuse.
'The glasshouses now pose an active risk to health and safety on site, and have now become overrun with vermin, affecting the surrounding agricultural land and nearby chickens.'
The area will be levelled after the removal of three greenhouses, with the fourth to be restored on a like-for-like basis, retaining its original appearance but improving its condition.
The application's design statement reads: 'The implications of the proposed alterations to the existing glasshouses from the Walled Kitchen Garden will be minimal, retaining historic fabric where feasible and only removing it where absolutely necessary.
'The outlined proposals recognise the site as an important part of the Highclere Estate's long history; seeking to ensure its future usability and longevity.'
Historic England was consulted on the plans, and it had no objection to the application on heritage grounds.
In a 2021 video of the Highclere Estate's farming activities, Lady Carnarvon showed off the chicken flock, which at the time numbered more than 20.
'There's nothing better than a fresh laid egg,' she said, before extolling the virtues of the 'lovely cooing, soothing sound' the birds make when being fed.