Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by the Countess of Carnarvon.
This is the true story of Highclere Castle, the real Downton Abbey, and its remarkable mistress Lady Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon.
Like Lady Cora, in the late 19th C Lady Almina brought her significant dowry to the rescue of Highclere, funding improvements such as electricity and indoor plumbing. She also supervised the temporary conversion of the castle to a hospital in WWI.
The current Countess of Carnarvon also lives at Highclere. She isn’t much of a writer, but the great estate has an intriguing history, and the parallels to the PBS series are entertaining. A bonus is the inclusion of numerous black and white photos of the 19th C estate and its residents.