Meadowbrook Hall presents Life at the Grand Manor inspired by Downton Abbey

Meadow Brook Hall presents Life at the Grand Manor Special tours, teas and lectures inspired by the Downton Abbey television series

Meadow Brook Hall presents Downton Days – a series of events February 6 through February 28 – to celebrate Michigan’s own Downton Abbey as it relates to the popular PBS series. Downton Days is sponsored by Chief Financial Credit Union.

Meadow Brook’s Downton Days commences with A Servant’s Life, a unique tour offered on February 6, 7, 20, 21, 27 and 28. Visitors will have a chance to see life as it was lived in the “downstairs” of Meadow Brook Hall when the head housekeeper invites them to be part of the staff. Guests will learn how the servants lived and worked at The Hall in this Behind-the-Scenes living history tour. Complete your afternoon with tea and scones in the Servants Dining Room.

A Downton-inspired Tea & Talk will be offered on Tuesday, February 9, 16 and 23. Guests will enjoy an elegant tea in the Christopher Wren Dining Room which includes a presentation from special guest Barb Gulley of Barb’s Tea Service. Gulley will compare the changes in fashion and etiquette during the days of Downton Abbey and Meadow Brook Hall. The afternoon concludes with a special tour of The Hall.

The Lunch & Lecture takes place on Thursday, February 11 and 25. The afternoon begins with lunch followed by a lecture from Meadow Brook’s curator on how the inventions and politics of the early 20th century altered British society and country estate living. Using examples from Meadow Brook Hall, Downton Abbey and British history. Concluding with a special Downton-inspired tour.

The cost for A Servant’s Life tour experience is $ 35 per person. Cost to attend the Tea & Talk is $55 per person and The Lunch & Lecture is $45. Reservations are required for all Downton Days events. Limited tickets sold. To purchase tickets call (248) 364-6252.

Meadow Brook Hall is fully self-funded, relying on special events such as Downton Days for the preservation and interpretation of this National Historic Landmark. For more information about the event, call (248) 364-6252 or visit www.meadowbrookhall.org

A National historic Landmark, Meadow Brook Hall is the historic home built by one of the automotive aristocracy’s most remarkable women, Matilda Dodge Wilson, widow of auto pioneer John Dodge, and her second husband, Alfred Wilson. Constructed between 1926 and 1929, Meadow Brook Hall represents one of the finest examples of Tudor-revival architecture in America, and is especially renowned for its superb craftsmanship, architectural detailing and grand scale of 88,000 square-feet. It was the center of a country estate that included 1,500 acres, numerous farm buildings, recreational facilities, several residences and formal gardens.

Meadow Brook Hall strives to preserve and interpret its architecture, landscape, and fine and decorative art so that visitors may be entertained, educated and inspired by history.