Downton Abbey Moves From U.K. To West Palm Beach, Florida

Imagine flying all the way from London, England only to find that the major tourist attraction in Palm Beach County, Florida is — an exhibition about Downton Abbey, the British TV series.

As I wrote last week, my bestie, Julie, arrived from the U.K. to visit a couple of weeks ago, and was surprised to hear about Downton Abbey: The Exhibition. And, even more surprised to discover it was on in CityPlace, West Palm Beach. Moving into the site of the old Macy’s department store, it was just a few miles from our condo. Naturally, we hurried over.

Of course, you don’t have to be British — or even an avid fan — to know that Downton Abbey was the super-hit series about an English country house and its occupants set in the Edwardian era. It ran for six seasons from 2010, and can now still be seen on Amazon Prime.

Sets, Props and Videos

Even if you never heard of the series, you could still appreciate the exhibition that is a marvelous mix of staged sets, curated costumes, props, videos and historical snippets reflecting this transformative period in British history. It gives visitors the chance to learn about British culture, society and fashion from World War I to the Roaring Twenties.

Interestingly enough, this exhibition has not yet been staged in the U.K. It premiered in Singapore (click here for more photos) and then moved to New York City before arriving in West Palm Beach.

Servant Quarters, Too

Equally interesting, The Exhibition shows in detail how life looked in the servant’s quarters, too.(Click on the thumbnail photos to enlarge details.)

The exhibits bring to mind the memorable line spoken by Dowager Violet in a conversation with Isobel (Matt Crawley’s mother) who remarks that “Servants are human beings, too.” To which Violet replies : “Yes, but preferably only on their days off.” A comment, which apart from being wickedly funny also pretty much sums up the theme and premise of this TV series that had its best moments focusing on the intricate relationships of the aristocratic family with its servants.

Bestie Highlights

Julie told me that growing up, as a child, she had a record player like the one on exhibit (pictured.) She’s also toured Highclere Castle, the real-life stately home in Newbury, U.K. that serves as the fictional Downton Abbey.

Personal Moments

The exhibition wasn’t without personal highlights for me, too. I was amazed to learn that most of the interior scenes set in the servants’ quarters were filmed at Ealing Studios (also home of the iconic Ealing comedies) which are located in the neighborhood where I grew up in London.

I also discovered that I would have been unemployable in a house like Downton Abbey. The exhibition provided an interactive multiple-choice questionnaire to determine which position you’d be most suited to at Downton Abbey. Included were questions about hypothetical situations you might find yourself in. For example, what would you do or say if one of the ladies asked you to alter a dress for her into a style which was inappropriate? Below is my result: