'Downton Abbey' Castle Is Open to Tours June 6, 2012, 3:05 pm The next season of "Downton Abbey" won't be broadcast until January for American audiences, but fans of the show can visit the filming location long before then. Highclere Castle, a short train ride from London's city center, has been the setting for the show's scandal and intrigue since the first episode, and each summer the castle's owners open the building and grounds to the public. Visitors can see many of the rooms filmed for the show, including the smoking room where plot points are carefully revealed, the wall-length Van Dyck painting in the drawing room where Dame Maggie Smith has delivered one withering look after another in her role as Countess Violet Grantham, and the grounds where characters have strolled casually along so that the rest of the family can't tell they are arguing. The castle has been in the Carnarvon family since 1679, and currently Lord Geordie and Lady Fiona Carnarvon reside there year-round. Besides the rooms used for filming and the ornate Georgian architectural details on display, the owners have also added a special Egyptology exhibit in honor of one of their early relatives who helped discover the tomb of Tutankhamen in 1922. Highclere Castle is in Newbury, which is on a direct train line from London's Paddington Station. Once at Newbury Station, it is a short taxi ride to the castle. Admission is £16 ($24) for adults. The castle is open to the public through this Thursday and again on Sundays through Thursdays from July 1 to Sept. Check the online calendar for an exact schedule.