A worldwide film star is coming to the High Point Market this week.
Highclere Castle, the real “Downton Abbey,” will be featured in AW Industries’ High Point showroom as film audiences around the world are enjoying the third Downton Abbey movie, which premiered in the United States last month.
That movie, the “Grand Finale” in the popular Downton Abbey franchise, once again shines a bright light on Highclere Castle, whose dramatic profile, rising from the English countryside, has become one of the country’s most iconic sights.
AW Industries gives that famous castle its due, literally weaving it into the fabric of its Highclere Collection mattress lines, which include one- and two-sided models. The castle itself is displayed prominently in the ticking in two striking versions: One in black, set against a light background with gold accents all around, and the other outlined in gold on a black background, with more gold accents.
The castle is also featured on signage in the AW showroom in High Point, located on the fifth floor of the International Home Furnishings Center’s Main wing.
AW Industries, which first introduced its Highclere Collection in 2022 and has expanded it since, is now benefitting from the renewed focus that the latest Downton Abbey film is putting on Highclere Castle.
That castle is no mere film creation, although the Downton Abbey TV shows and films have made it recognizable around the world. Highclere Castle is the home of the eighth Earl of Carnarvon, Geordie, and his wife, Fiona, the eighth Countess of Carnarvon.
And it was them that Adrian Wertz, vice president of sales at AW Industries, kept in mind when he was bringing the Highclere Collection mattresses to the market.
“I took the Highclere brand very seriously,” he said. “I want to ensure that the Lord and Lady are proud of what we are doing. The Highclere Collection highlights a look of royalty, elegance and stature.”
He says the line is resonating with U.S. consumers because it tells a strong story and it gives them unique mattresses that stand apart from the competition. The latest film has sparked heightened interest in the Downton Abbey story and should expand the reach of the line across the country, Wertz believes.
The castle and its grounds are deeply rooted in British history.
“The Highclere Estate has a uniquely long history spanning nearly 1,300 years, with very few changes of ownership,” the Countess of Carnarvon writes in her latest book, “Seasons At Highclere.” “For 800 years it was owned by the Bishops of Winchester, and it still stands, more or less, on the same footprint as it did then, with the old medieval walls lying within the curtilage of the current Castle and gardens.”
The bishops’ palace became an elegant Tudor family residence and was purchased in 1679 by Lord Carnarvon’s forbears. Later the Carnarvon family built a classical stone Georgian home around the Elizabethan building. That lasted until the 3rd Earl of Carnarvon “commissioned the pre-eminent Victorian architect Sir Charles Barry to design and build the current Castle which is so known and loved today,” the Countess writes. That castle emerged in the 19th century.
If Highclere Castle, with its soaring spires and towers, looks familiar to another English landmark, it should. Barry also designed the Houses of Parliament in London. Barry’s work on Highclere Castle was “far more enjoyable” than his work on the Houses of Parliament, the Countess writes.
Mark Hobson, the bedding veteran and consultant who traveled to Highclere Castle a few years ago to discuss the licensing deal that eventually brought the Highclere Collection to the U.S. market, says the line is winning at retail for a number of reasons.
The distinctive castle graphics on the mattresses and on retail floor displays are compelling, he said. “The castle is the conversation starter,” he noted. “It is readily identifiable, and it sets light bulbs off that bring the Downton Abbey story to mind.” Those conversations can lead to mattress sales, he added.
And the unique looks are also important. “Those are powerful ways to engage the consumer,” he said. “Many mattresses in the market look so similar. The Highclere Collection engages the consumers and builds trust with them. That’s one of the advantages of a brand with cachet.”
