Resort Report: Downton's real-life chatelaine to visit Newport for Preservation Society

When the Preservation Society of Newport County was looking for a guest speaker, they drew an ace in the form of Fiona, Lady Carnarvon.

The chatelaine of Highclere Castle — the towering Gothic/Jacobean/Georgian structure that served as the representation of Downton Abbey in the television series and two subsequent films — knows from old houses.

Highclere is built on an Iron Age home site more than 1,200 years old, established before William the Conqueror or even Charlemagne.

The castle itself is more than 400 years old. That's a lot of leaks, creaks, squeaks and rumblings.

For 300 of those years, the house has been home to her husband's family, the Herberts.

When her father-in-law, the seventh earl, died in 2001, her husband George Reginald Oliver Molyneux Herbert — called Geordie — became the eighth Earl of Carnarvon and Fiona Aitken Herbert became countess.

They moved to the 5,000-acre estate and began a continuous cycle of renovation, restoration and preservation.

Lady Carnarvon will be the guest of honor at a day of fund-raising events on Thursday to benefit the Preservation Society.

The invitation was born from a conversation about HBO's "The Gilded Age" between Lady Carnarvon and Preservation Society CEO Trudy Coxe.

“There are so many similarities in what we do," the countess said. "The Preservation Society properties and Highclere face the same challenges in taking care of a property while at the same time welcoming the public."

As stewards, they need to do both.

"They must be protected and they must be seen," she said. "These houses are visual history."

“Highclere Castle is one of the most iconic and beloved houses in the world, and Lady Carnarvon and her husband, the Earl of Carnarvon, have done a remarkable job sharing its rich history and heritage,”  Coxe said.

“We understand the importance of preserving and sharing history. We cannot wait to learn more about the real-life Downton Abbey and have Lady Carnarvon experience our own Gilded Age history right here in Newport.”

The day-long fundraiser begins with an already sold out luncheon at Fairholme, an oceanfront Gilded Age mansion still in private hands.

Its owners have included Palm Beachers Janet Annenberg, Chan and John Mashek, and Anita O'Keeffe Young, whose Palm Beach winter home, Montsorrel, is now home to Nelson and Claudia Peltz.

Lady Carnarvon will discuss her role in the care and upkeep of the castle during the luncheon, which takes place from noon to 2 p.m. in the Horace Trumbauer-designed ballroom amid a display of Gilded Age fashion. Guests are asked to incorporate a feather into their attire.

A few tickets, at $200 per, remain for the evening event on the back terrace and lawn of Rosecliff, one of the Preservation Society's properties.

The "Highclere Experience" will include cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, a raw bar, a dessert station, live music and floral displays.

The event begins at 6:30 p.m. and features an expanded, illustrated version of Lady Carnarvon's luncheon presentation on the challenges of running an English estate, farm and gardens, and the importance of preservation and sustainability. She’ll also answer questions.

Oh, and there is the Highclere gin station — yes, the castle has its own gin, which has won more than 57 gold and platinum medals — which will be serving Jubilee cocktails to toast the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

“London dry gin is an archetypal English drink," Lady Carnarvon said. "It’s all inspired by botanicals here and made at the oldest distillery in the country.”

A virtual option, "The Enlightened Evening," is available via Zoom for $25 beginning at 6:30 pm.

But you'll have to make your own Jubilee cocktail. (Equal portions of Highclere gin and Dubonnet with a champagne floater and a squeeze of orange.)

In coupe glass, please.

For more information visit www.newportmansions.org/events/a-visit-with-lady-carnarvon.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Countess Carnarvon of Highclere Castle to speak for Newport Preservation Society