Attention, lords and ladies: LEGO just released its first-ever Downton Abbey set, and it’s packed with thoughtful details that fans of the show will absolutely adore. As a LEGO collector with well over 100 sets, I had recently sworn off building more castles due to space constraints—but I’m going to have to make an exception for this one. It’s that good.
I cover LEGO launches for a living, and I have a strong a strong feeling that this set is going to sell in a jiffy. If you’re hoping to surprise someone with it this holiday season, I wouldn’t wait too long. At $350, it’s certainly a splurge gift, but it’s guaranteed to make the Downton Abbey fan in your life feel positively spoiled.
When complete, this set is 17.5 inches wide and 12 inches tall, so it’s going to take up a bit of real estate on any shelf. Plan accordingly!
It’s no wonder why: Not only are you building the famous exterior of England’s Highclere Castle, where the series was largely filmed, but there are also multiple rooms featured when you flip the house around. That’s right: a whopping 4,711 pieces are used to bring to life the Downton dining room, kitchen, main hall, library, Mr. Carson’s office, and the servants’ hall. In addition to the home, you’ll also build the stately cedar tree, along with Lady Mary’s bench.
Now, this set brings to life Season 6 of the series, so that sadly means there’s no Matthew minifigure—but you’ll get 13 others, including the Dowager Countess, Lord Grantham, Lady Grantham, Lady Mary, Lady Edith, Tom Branson, Mr. Carson, Mrs. Hughes, Mr. Bates, Thomas Barrow, Mrs. Patmore, Anna Bates, Daisy Parker, and even Lord Grantham’s Labrador.
This set is practically perfect, but I secretly wish it were equipped with LEGO SMART Play so I could hear the Dowager Countess ask “What is a weekend?” and quip about how she’s not familiar with the sensation of being wrong.
Remember, larger sets like this one are exclusive to LEGO.com and tend to go on backorder quite quickly and frequently (since LEGO doesn’t produce as many of them as they do the smaller sets)—so if you’re hoping to get your hands on this one, I’d advise not waiting too long.
