Royal Doulton Downton Abbey
Another gift idea for Downton Abbey fans is a Downton Abbey figurine from Royal Doulton. They are faithfully crafted limited edition pieces. A selection can currently be seen on the Royal Doulton online store.
If your favorite character is sold out you may find one at a good price on eBay : CLICK HERE for the current listings on eBay
I notice a pretty crystal glass perfume decanter bottle on Lady Mary Crawley's dressing table. I see a range of similar crystal glass perfume bottles on eBay Click HERE for a selection.
So what fragrances might someone like Lady Mary have worn? In her decanter she may have kept natural floral essential oil based toilet waters. 1912, the year in which the Downton Abbey sereies begins, was the year the fragrance L'Heure Bleue or 'the blue hour' was created by Jacques Guerlain. From the House of Caron in Paris came “N’Aimez que Moi” in 1916, and “Tabac Blond” in 1919, 1920 perfumes include Chanel No. 5 which was launched in 1921 and would have been familiar to somebody like Lady Mary Crawley. Guerlain’s Shalimar, was launched in 1925 and became one of the most popular fragrances of all time. Guerlain’s Shalimar was named after the Gardens of Shalimar in Lahore, Pakistan, which were built for Mumtaz Mahal, the woman for whom the Taj Mahal was built.
Going all out for a full set of Downton Abbey style fine china may not be practical or affordable on a limited budget. A fine china breakfast tray setting is an affordable luxury and perfect for a stylish breakfast in bed. Take inspiration from Lady Mary Crawley's breakfast tray. On the Downton Abbey set they used Spode Stafford White china with a custom Downton Abbey crest but otherwise identical to the pieces you can buy online See a selection here on eBay. Also on Lady Mary's tray is a tall cream jug from Royal Crown Derby with a distinctive panel on the side. The example above has a green colorway. Here is another example with Red detailing.