An American Aristocrat Holiday Special

Host Julie Montagu, Viscountess Hinchingbrooke has been traveling the U.K., visiting Britain’s finest royal homes to see how they are staying relevant in the 21st century. This time, she focuses on her own manor house: Mapperton, a stunning, 2,000-acre estate nestled deep in the Dorset countryside. See how Julie and husband Luke keep their Tudor-period building profitable, and enjoy a royal Thanksgiving dinner at our host’s great estate.

Christmas is the time of year when Britain’s historic manor houses feel their most magical. And right now, Julie Montagu, Viscountess Hinchingbrooke needs some of that yuletide spirit. She has to deck the halls of Mapperton’s 45-room house, host a carol service in the estate’s church, and prepare a grand feast for 110 guests. For inspiration, she visits the real Downton Abbey’s Christmas display and heads to a local tavern for some pub carol singing before heading back home to whip up a goose meal once served for Queen Victoria.