Stunning chocolate-box village that’s one of the oldest in the UK is ‘the real-life Downton’ from hit ITV show

FOR anyone who can't hold 7 months for the adjacent Downton Abbey movie, however astir a sojourn to the real-life colony instead.

The beloved TV bid and franchise was filmed each implicit the UK, but the saccharine Cotswolds hamlet of Bampton is the literal Downton Abbey village.

Fans volition cognize that the fictional Downton colony is recovered successful Yorkshire betwixt Ripon and Thirsk, oregon truthful they say.

In reality, it was filmed overmuch further south, the cobbled hamlet of Bampton successful Oxfordshire was utilized to movie each of the colony scenes - there's adjacent a Downton Abbey filming locations representation called the ‘Downton Abbey Mile' extracurricular the churchyard, a way to drawback each the large backdrops.

In the bosom of the hamlet is St Mary's Church, which is simply a large show successful Downton Abbey. It's been the centre of weddings, funerals and christenings.

Central characters Lady Mary Crawley (Michelle Dockery) and Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) tied the knot determination successful the 3rd series.

Also filmed astatine the religion was the infinitesimal Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael) was jilted astatine the altar by Sir Anthony Strallan (Robert Bathurst) - besides successful bid three.

Directly crossed from St Mary's Church is Church Close, the thoroughfare which became the location of Downton village's section pub, The Grantham Arms.

Lots of characters extremity up popping in, astir memorably, Tom Branson (Allen Leech) was forced to enactment determination aft losing his occupation arsenic a chauffeur.

In reality, The Grantham Arms is simply a location that was transformed with immoderate signs, model dressing and tables retired connected the pavement.

The greenish extracurricular the religion was besides utilized for the colony fair, and arsenic a warfare memorial for a Christmas special.

Right adjacent to the religion is the Old Rectory, oregon for immoderate instrumentality of the show, Isobel Crawley's (Penelope Wilton) home.

With it being down a partition and gross you tin lone spot the apical of a expansive bay window. It was lone utilized arsenic the exterior scenes with Mrs Crawley often catching residents of Downton Abbey for a chat.

The interior scenes were filmed astatine Hall Place successful Buckinghamshire.

The Bampton room was the filming determination of Downton Cottage Hospital wherever Doctor Clarkson (David Robb) tended to his galore patients.

The gathering was erstwhile a grammar schoolhouse but is present utilized arsenic an archive room and depository for Bampton history.

One of the astir recognisable streets for fans is Church View roadworthy arsenic it makes up the bulk of the village.

One of the homes was made up to look similar the Dog and Duck pub and different location was utilized to go the extracurricular of the post office.

With a Bampton Downton Abbey filming determination leaflet with a map, it's casual capable to bash your ain walking circuit astir the colony and implicit the 'Downton Abbey Mile'.

As for the remainder of Bampton, the colony has classical Cotswold chromatic houses and astir 100 listed buildings.

The colony dates backmost to the Iron Age and is 1 of the oldest towns successful England... and 1 of the prettiest successful Oxfordshire.

There are besides 2 java shops, a butcher, a deli, a foundation shop, an creation gallery, antique store and plot centre.

The colony besides has a 600-year-long contented of Morris dancing, it's taken precise earnestly and is 1 of the fewer English towns that person continued the contented performing connected the precocious May slope vacation each twelvemonth for astir 5 hours each astir Bampton.

One of the Grade II listed buildings successful the colony if the family-run pub, Morris Clown.

The pub proved arguable arsenic Morris dancing teams person a fool, not a clown, which led to a boycott for 25 years wherever Morris dancers of Bampton refused to portion there, but aft a reconciliation it is present their location pub.

It's worthy a sojourn for non-Morris dancers too, arsenic the pub was besides featured successful the 2023 Good Beer Guide for Oxfordshire.

If you're travelling to the Cotswolds and privation to marque the astir your sight-seeing time, Highclere Castle aka Downton Abbey is lone a hour's thrust away.

Downton Abbey has filmed determination since 2010 and they connection their ain guided circuit of the location for movie buffs for £140.

If you instrumentality it into your ain hands, wide admittance to the castle and grounds commencement astatine £22.50 for adults.

In presumption of places to stay, Bampton is reasonably expensive. But determination are the towns of Faringdon, and Witney in the surrounding country that has a country complaint from £26 successful definite hotels.

For anyone wanting a luxurious experience, adjacent you'll find The Lakes by Yoo Hotel recovered successful Lechlade.

The luxury lakeside properties that connection wellness retreats and person an onsite spa with rates that commencement astatine £207 per night.

It's besides a fashionable spot for celebrities. Jade Jagger has stayed determination arsenic good arsenic Jack Grealish, Mark Owen, Kay Burley adjacent successfully hid determination connected Celebrity Hunted.

Ten minutes down the roadworthy from Bampton is Mollie's Motel & Diner, with guests loving it for its affordable Soho House vibes and tenable country rates starting from £70 a night.

One reviewer said connected TripAdvisor "the chill benignant of Soho House truly elevated this fund hotel".

You don't adjacent person to enactment if you don't privation to, conscionable prime up immoderate classical American nutrient from the drive-thru. One lawsuit said the "burgers were amazing, and the dessert milkshake was perfect".

Bampton is besides precise adjacent to the enchanting municipality of Bibury, which is regularly described arsenic "the astir beauteous colony successful England".

In particular, the Arlington Row, a enactment of cottages built successful 1380 which are immoderate of the astir photographed sites successful England.