| Summary: | For 6 series, Downton Abbey (ITV1, 2010-2015) narrated the story of the aristocratic Crawley family and of their domestic servants, in the early 20th century. The series’ title and opening credits focus on the country estate where the narrative unfolds, making the ‘big house’ the main character of the series. In the mansion, characters interact within and between their own social/geographic areas in an “upstairs, downstairs” logic. The drama that develops at the scale of the house reflects the social and historical tensions of the United Kingdom before and after the First World War. This article examines the characters’ complex relationships with the spaces and places that compose the Big House, in order to reassess Julian Fellowes’ conservative view of class and emancipation in the fictional universe of the series.
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