Wentworth Woodhouse- The Real Downton Abbey!

Wentworth Woodhouse, Yorkshire, England

I am most of the way through the book Black Diamonds, The Rise and Fall of an English Dynasty, by Catherine Bailey and I just had to share the story with you.

This is the REAL Downton Abbey, and it's even in Yorkshire! The country seat of the Fitzwilliam family, this is the story of the house, the family and the fortune made from the local coal mining industry. It has been said that truth is stranger than fiction...well, this is one story which HAS to be filmed. And since the house is now standing empty, waiting for repairs and a ₤200 million development deal (hotel, museum, wedding venue etc) now would be the time to film it!

Black Diamonds- The Rise and Fall of an English Dynasty by Catherine Bailey

There is so much in this book I hardly know where to start. Love, money, greed, backstabbing, betrayal, lies and even a connection with the Kennedy family. And best of all, one of the largest houses in England as a backdrop. Thankfully, author Catherine Bailey is also a film and television producer who read history at Oxford. If there was ever a woman to bring this story to the screen, she is the one. But when?



I bet you can't read just one chapter. Un-put-down-able! And the Fitzwilliam family make the Crawley family seem heroically well adjusted. Seriously!

I won't spoil the story for you. But I will be getting in touch with Catherine Bailey to beg her to write a screenplay. Seriously!