The hit ITV drama Downton Abbey was recently developed into a film: Downton Abbey: A New Era, and was brought to our cinema screens earlier in March.
Amid all the excitement, The National Trust has been looking back at the time the show came to film in the Wiltshire village of Lacock.
According to the organisation, for the final series of Downton Abbey, the Wiltshire village of Lacock starred in the beloved ITV drama for the first time.
In February 2015 the Downton Abbey crew transformed Church Street into a 1920s livestock market.
Sheep, pigs and a 1-tonne long-horned bull joined the cast, as well as many ‘extras’, creating a bustling market scene attended by Lord Grantham, his family and many of the staff.
Some National Trust volunteers and village tenants were chosen to be supporting artists, which they said was an exciting opportunity for them.
A visitor welcome volunteer at Lacock Abbey, Jeff Rawlings said: “It was fascinating to see behind the scenes of Downton Abbey.
“The amount of detail going into the production was astonishing.
“I was cast as a farmer and they even went as far as applying dirt to the back of my hands as I had supposedly been working in the fields.”
The famous faces who visited the village in 2015 included Lord and Lady Grantham and their daughters Lady Mary and Lady Edith, as well as all of the staff from Mr Carson to Mrs Patmore.
Event volunteer Ray Pattemore was another supporting artist on the set and got to play a judge.
He said: “I managed to speak to quite a few of the cast and I was even complimented on my appearance.
“One of the production team told me that I had one of the best supporting artists' jobs on set, which pleased me no end. I particularly wanted to chat to 'Mrs Patmore' the cook, played by Lesley Nicol.
Kristine Heuser who works for the National Trust in the village added that Lacock made the ideal place for the drama to be filmed due to its traditional setting.
She said: “Lots of people come to Lacock and say: ‘It looks like something out of Downton’, so it was wonderful to finally have the crew and cast here – lots of us have been hoping they’d decide to film here.
“We are all massive fans, so spotting Lady Mary, Thomas and Mr Bates on the streets we walk every day was an absolute treat.”
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