The popular period drama, which follows the lives of residents above and below stairs in a country house in Hampshire , has been keeping viewers enthralled since 2010.

Now the real owners of the estate at Highclere Castle, the Carnarvon family, have decided to open up a guest lodge on the estate and allow short stays.

Called London Lodge, the accommodation is set in two newly-restored buildings, joined by a path, that originally date from 1840 but had fallen into disrepair. They are set on either side of the estate’s grand Georgian gatehouse, built in 1793.

Both properties sleep two and are cosy, with wood-burning stoves in the sitting rooms, little kitchens, a bedroom and dressing room. The owners have opted for a modern, Cotswolds-cottage feel as opposed to trying to recreate anything you might see in Julian Fellowes’s series. They will be available on a self-catering basis. Dates in spring have already sold out but the Countess of Carnarvon said she will be adding more dates in the summer and autumn periods when the castle is open to the public.

The castle is already a popular tourist attraction – so popular in fact that tickets for Easter and Spring openings are already sold out.

The grounds of Highclere are home to folds of parkland, dotted with huge 18th-century cedars of Lebanon and huddles of sheep.

The 5th Earl of Carnarvon brought many of the Egyptian artefacts that he and Henry Carter found on archaeological excavations back to the castle. Their work led to the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb.

Sophie Campbell, a Telegraph writer, visited the castle and said: “Downstairs, the two big treats are the dining room, with its mighty Van Dyck portrait of King Charles I on horseback, and the library, running almost the length of the house. This is Bonneville territory, the main haunt of Lord Grantham, with the well-upholstered feel of a gentleman's club.

“Among shelves of valuable calf-bound leather books, a door of fake ones leads into the ornate music room, featuring a simple desk that once belonged to Napoleon. Another hidden door leads to an enfilade of pretty gilded-and-mirrored rooms commissioned by Almina, the wife of the fifth earl.”

Each lodge will be available from £350 a night. For more information, email londonlodge@highclerecastle.co.uk.

Downton Abbey will start filming its 6th season in the new year.