Spend the day visiting famous sites associated with Downton Abbey in the stunning region of the Oxfordshire Cotswolds.
The limestone villages in this region double up for Yorkshire in Downton Abbey, and during your tour of this delightful area, you will be taken to Cogges Manor Farm, dating back to the 11th century. Downton Abbey fans will know it as Yew Tree Farm where Lady Edith's daughter Marigold is raised.
Here, you will get an exclusive private visit before the site opens to the public. Explore the film sites and see a special documentary on the making of Downton Abbey, before enjoying a morning coffee in the old milking barn. You will then head to the beautiful village of Shilton where Anna searches for Bates and the charming Swinford where Lady Sybil and Branson spend a night on their way to elope.
The tour then continues on to Bampton, which is the location for Downton Village. During your guided walk, you will be taken to St Mary's church, known as St Michael's church in the TV series, the location of many marriages, funerals, and even a jilting. See Mrs Crawley's house, the village green, the Grantham Arms pub, the post office and the Cottage Hospital. Later on, while exploring some back roads of the Cotswolds you will get the chance to visit the village of Bladon. Here, in the quiet churchyard, is the resting place of Sir Winston and Lady Churchill.
Nearby is the bustling, yet pretty, market town of Woodstock where you will have some time for lunch. At the end of the town's main street is an archway that takes you into a different world. Here, you enter the breathtaking landscaped grounds of Blenheim Palace. Home of the 12th Duke of Marlborough and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill in 1874. Sir John Vanburgh's architectural masterpiece was built between 1705 and 1724 to rival Versailles. You will be able to tour the magnificent rooms and the stunning gardens landscaped by Lancelot Capability Brown. There will be time to see the Winston Churchill exhibition and enjoy the sheer opulence and incredible beauty of the Palace before returning to Oxford.