With more than 120 million viewers around the world, there might be some slight bidding competition when 120 iconic props, costumes and set pieces from the Downton Abbey series go up for auction at Bonhams London in September.
Planning a wedding? You could walk down the aisle in Lady Mary Crawley’s wedding dress from Season 3. The pale apricot chiffon gown is overlaid with antique lace and has a dropped waist sash, accompanied by a jewelled tiara and a bouquet of prop lilies to give you the overall look. Got a summer party to go to? What about the Harem pants worn by Lady Sybil in Season 1, complete with a peacock pattern bodice. Or perhaps you’d rather do some interior decorating with the George III oak dresser from the Servant’s Hall. If you’re planning some entertaining you might like the three butler’s trays used throughout the series, and the three-piece suit of Mr Carson to go with them (although strictly speaking Carson wouldn’t have been carrying the butler’s trays). The sale includes everything from a selection of cooking utensils and doorknobs and light switches to books, baskets, letters, lamp shades and napkins. You can even buy the Spode dinner service and silver plated cutlery used in the show by the Crawley family.
Many of the props up for auction were used throughout the series but most of the clothing can be dated to a specific episode and, of course, wearer: there are outfits worn by many from the main cast including Shirley MacLaine, Dame Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, Jim Carter and Hugh Bonneville.
“Downton Abbey is an example of the very best of British television,” said Charlie Thomas, director of iconic collections at Bonhams. “It is an exceptionally well-researched piece of storytelling on aristocratic society in the early 20th century, and the costumes and props show the impressive attention to detail that brought the world to life on screen and made it so beloved by millions across the globe.”
Series producer Carnival Films is donating the proceeds of the sale to Together for Short Lives, a UK charity focused on children’s palliative care.
