It is the stately setting for the hit TV period drama Downton Abbey, in which some of the key action takes place on horseback. But Highclere Castle has pulled the plug on the leading equestrian event it has hosted for 25 years over fears that the horses are churning up the grounds. The annual Highclere Horse Trials, which attracts Olympic-class riders such as the Queen’s granddaughter, Zara Phillips, is having to move from the Hampshire estate after the owners of the castle, Lord and Lady Carnarvon, proposed a hike in fees.
The organisers of the annual three-day event said the castle, which has seen visitor numbers double since the ITV series started in 2010, ‘felt that they could no longer accommodate the trials, withother events and commitments at the castle taking precedence’.
Lord and Lady Carnarvon became so concerned about the disruption and damage to the grounds, where the third series of Downton Abbey is now being filmed, that they wanted to raise the rent or slash the number of horses at the event.
READ MORE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2116601/Downton-races-fall-shows-stately-setting-pulls-plug-equestrian-event.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
No comments:
Post a Comment