Downton Abbey fans pay homage to props before finale
LONDON
As Downton Abbey draws to a close in September, some fans took solace by getting close to memorable props and costumes from the much-loved British saga as they went on sale on Aug. 18.
Everyone has their favorite piece, including Charlie Thomas of London's Bonhams auction house which is holding the sale.
He had no hesitation in highlighting the "bell wall," the servant's call system which appears from the first series to the last, as his favorite item.
"Just to prove it's a working bell, look at that I expect someone's going to deliver tea in a minute," he joked while testing out the item, which is valued between 6,000 pounds and 8,000 pounds.
Thomas, who is in charge of the auction, suspects that it will smash its pre-sale valuation.
The online sale began on Aug. 18 and will end on Sept. 16, with the public invited to an exhibition of all the items before they go under the hammer.
"We've already had a huge amount of interest coming from across the globe, especially from America, from Europe, a lot from northern Europe, from Asia," he added.
"People have sort of fallen in love with these characters."
The television series, created by Julian Fellowes, first aired in the U.K. in 2010 before conquering the world.
It tells the story of the wealthy aristocratic Crawley family and their servants over a 30-year period, spanning six seasons and 52 episodes.
More than 120 million viewers worldwide have seen the show, according to Bonhams.
Two films were released in 2019 and 2022 and a third, "The Grand Finale," is due out on Sept. 12. It will focus on divorce and the Crawley's survival in a constantly changing world.
Visitors to the exhibition viewed the pieces with a reverential eye, with one woman taking a long look at the cane used by Violet Crawley, played by Maggie Smith, who died in September 2024.
Other highlights include Lord and Lady Grantham's 1925 Sunbeam saloon car, which still runs (valued between 25,000 and 35,000 pounds), the dress worn by Lady Mary at her wedding to Matthew Crawley (valued between 3,000 and 5,000 pounds), and a pair of harem pants belonging to Lady Sybil, valued similarl
