THE location for one of the highest-rating UK dramas in recent years made a final appearance as Downton Abbey on Christmas Day.

Situated in North Hampshire, Highclere Castle is one of more than 400 locations on the Film Hampshire database.

Film Hampshire is a Hampshire County Council service that promotes the county’s wide range of filming locations, with a key draw for film and television production companies being the county’s diversity of settings that include rolling hills, acres of forest and coastal sites, as well as historic buildings and a long-standing naval and military heritage. This, together with and the proximity to excellent transport links, makes Hampshire an attractive proposition.

Sean Woodward, Hampshire County Council’s executive member for economy, transport and environment, said: “This high-profile production has most certainly put Hampshire and Highclere Castle firmly on the location map. This has such a positive effect on our local economy with casts and film crews staying and spending money locally, and tourism in Hampshire boosted through, for example, fans visiting the sets and locations.”

Production spend contributes significantly to the Hampshire economy, with £8m per year generated.

Film Hampshire service also offers production companies access to a wealth of local expertise and an extensive network of contacts within the county.

Hampshire has been the source of locations for a number of world famous productions over the years, including Wolf Hall, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, The Hollow Crown, Wars of the Roses, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and War Z.

First aired in 2010‚ Downton Abbey is a television drama broadcast in more than 250 territories and averages more than 11 million viewers per episode. The series follows the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants on the fictional Yorkshire estate. Set in the post-Edwardian era, the series charts the trials and tribulations of its characters through the 1920s.