Downtown season 3, Episode 5: Enthralled by Crawley House

I like to think of Season 3, Episode 5 as the Aftermath
 Episode. It was the aftermath of Sybil's death and the
 aftermath of the Ethel Parks and Mrs. Crawley's decision.
 There were other interesting twists and turns for several
characters, notably, Daisy. {Will she be making jams with a
Mason Family Farm label anytime soon?}.  But I was once
again, enthralled by Isobel's home...maybe I should say
 "enthrawled by Crawley House" which makes it sound
like I'm from Downton village.

Crawley House Exterior
The Brampton Village Church Rectory building serves 
as the exterior of  fictitious Crawley House in Downton Village. 
The interior scenes were filmed on another location 
in Buckinghamshire.

The Downton village scenes were all filmed in Bampton in Oxfordshire, 
one of the oldest villages in the UK and said to be one of the most 
historically preserved locations in the country. Bampton was chosen 
because it “provided an authentic backdrop close to London.” 
roducer Nigel Marchant also said that “Bampton is perfect because 
it is so well preserved, and you hardly need to do anything in terms
 of alterations.” It is one of the oldest villages in England and its history
 can be traced to the Iron Age. The village also appears in the Domesday
Book of 1086. Several key buildings in Bampton also feature in Downton
Abbey with the exterior of Bampton library playing the part of the cottage
hospital. Another house was used as the exterior for  Crawley House as
 was the Dower House and St. Mary’s Church.  Bampton sits on the edge 
of the Cotswolds and is not to be confused with the village of
Bampton in Devon!

All of the interior shots of Crawley House are filmed at Hall Place
 in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.

I have to say that since the beginning of the show, I've been captivated
 by the Crawley House interiors.  They are much lighter and have a simple 
elegance to them. By today's standards, this may still be over the top 
Traditional, but this Upper Middle Class home is a true to period look.
It is quite a departure from the stuffier Victorian and Edwardian drapes 
and dark, richly upholstered pieces that we see at Downton Abbey. 
It is representative of the CHANGE that Isobel Crawley is always a 
part of..the reformer... the no fuss but classy personality she has is
evident in her crisp home. 

Cora: "We were just saying how charming this room is now."

Violet: "It always seemed rather dark when my mother-in-law lived here. 
But then she made everything rather dark."

-Cora and Violet greeting Matthew in Season 1, at Crawley House

This pic doesn't capture the beautiful blue paint color on the walls, in contrast to the yellow curtains, gold gilded frames and crisp white woodwork in Isobel's sitting room.

Gasp! She's thinking to herself, "At least I have a lovely blue room to comfort me from this dramatic news."

The light at Crawley house is lovely. The windows are either left bare or have simpler, less fussy,
 window treatments.

I'd kill for that wainscotting.

Down below in the kitchen, with Ethel, a pop of vibrant green appears on the door and wainscotting.

Gray hall, with crisp white trim. She'd be right in tune with today's GRAY MOVEMENT.
How forward thinking of her.

In the first Season, above, Matthew and his mother are dining in the more Victorian Style Dining room that they've just moved into.  Isobel has since ditched the wallpaper and in last night's episode, they showed a beautiful room with gray walls and crisp white molding....it was perfection. Yet, alas, this blogger has had a tough time coming up with a pic to show you.

I feel like today, Isobel's taste would translate to something like this:

although, please hang a picture on the wall or something.

or maybe something as forward thinking, and contemporarily traditional as this:

 All in all, I wouldn't mind moving into Crawley House.
And Isobel has grown on me quite a bit in Season 3.

DOWAGER COUNTESS OF GRANTHAM [to Mrs. Crawley] You are quite wonderful, the way you see room for improvement wherever you look. I never knew such reforming zeal.

ISOBEL CRAWLEY I take that as a compliment. [turns and walks in the other direction]

DOWAGER COUNTESS OF GRANTHAM [laughs] I must have said it wrong. XXXOOO.