increase in interest to the on-site filming of Downton Abbey. The family now live in Highclere Castle at various times throughout the year, but return to their cottage when the castle is open to the public. Highclere Park The parkland surrounding the castle is listed Grade I on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens and is listed as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The park is the earliest documented estate in Hampshire, having been given in 749 to the Church of Winchester as a deer park. In 1706, under the ownership of Robert Sawyer Herbert, the park became a rococo landscape of walks. Then in 1770 it became a landscaped park designed by Capability Brown. In 1991 Highclere Park was registered as an SSSI. The park's listing as an SSSI is due to a mixture of habitats that contain many regional uncommon plants, and its diverse range of lichen. Details There are various follies on the estate. To the east of the house is the Temple of Diana, erected before 1743 with Ionic order columns from Devonshire House in Piccadilly, which had burnt in 1733, and remodelled by Barry. "Heaven's Gate" is a folly about 60 feet high on Sidown Hill, built in 1749 by Hon. Robert Sawyer Herbert (d. 1769). Other 18th-century follies that can be found on the grounds of the estate include Milford Lake House and Jackdaw's Castle, both attributed to the architect earl of Pembroke, brother of the owner, and the Etruscan Temple. The 2nd Earl of Carnarvon was a passionate horticulturalist and was vice-president of the Royal Horticultural Society from 1829 until his death in 1833. Many hybrids and cultivars of ornamental plants were produced on the castle grounds during that time. The hybrid azalea Rhododendron × altaclerense was first produced on the castle grounds in 1826, with over 25 Highclere azalea cultivars later being produced. The hybrid holly Ilex x altaclerensis (Highclere holly) was developed here in 1835 by hybridising the Madeiran Ilex perado (grown in a greenhouse) with the local native Ilex aquifolium. This hybrid and it's offspring are still used as garden plants almost 200 years later. The castle, Egyptian exhibition and gardens are open to the public during the summer months and at other times during the rest of the year. The castle also holds special ticketed events throughout the year. As film and television location As event