Downton's dilemma

  A British stately home, often interchangeably called a country house, is typically substantial, if not downright palatial in size, and generally dates between the mid-16th to early 20th century. Many of these structures certainly appear at least as imposing as castles at first glance. Most often named for the families that occupied them, these stately homes stood as imposing physical status symbols for the upper-class families of Great Britain, and were also the meeting places for the ruling class when matters of state were at hand. […]
  The large stately homes were also important hubs of employment for the small villages in which they existed. Cooks, servants, gardeners, and many other types of indoor and outdoor employees were all members of these small communities and were heavily reliant on these grand houses. […]
  At the beginning of the 20th century, the stately homes began to feel the pressure of increased taxation, an agricultural depression, and the advances of modern industry. The final nail in the coffin however, was likely the two World Wars and the ensuing social change that followed in their wake. […]

  With the arrival of World War Two, many of the stately homes were donated to the government for the war effort, and were handed back to the owners in a state of dreadful disrepair. Finding themselves needing to make massive repairs on homes, making an agricultural loss, and having to cut back on domestic staff, many of the owners of these stately homes resorted to holding contents auctions in which they sold off furniture, stone, artwork, or anything else that they thought would generate enough income to keep their homes afloat.
  Sadly, many of Britain's stately homes were demolished in the wake of the changing financial and social climate. However, with the dawning of the 21st century, a renewed interest in preserving what many now think of as national monuments from a bygone era has emerged, and many of the remaining stately homes that dot the British countryside have been placed in the National Trust, opened to the public, or repurposed into hotels, garden centres, film sets, event venues, or holiday rentals.