What would Lady Violet say? Stunning Downton Abbey home of Maggie Smith's dowager sells for £6MILLION as last series begins 

By Mark Duell for MailOnline

Published: 13:02 EST, 20 September 2015 | Updated: 17:25 EST, 20 September 2015

The historic estate lived in by Downton Abbey's Lady Violet Crawley has been sold for £6million just as the show’s last series begins.

Byfleet Manor in Surrey, a 17th century mansion on the site of an estate that pre-dates the Domesday Book, was once home to royalty.

And in the hit ITV period drama it is Dower House, home to Lady Violet Crawley, the acid-tongued dowager played by Dame Maggie Smith.

The 6,000 sq ft home was put on the market for £3.95million, and offered with various separate lots - before selling for £5.95million.

Savills confirmed it was a British person who bought it, with the sale representing a bumper profit for businesswoman Julie Hutton.

She purchased the home around ten years ago for £1million, before renovating it while holding weddings on the picturesque estate.

The eight-bedroom house has 18 acres of land with stunning period features. Series six of Downton Abbey begins on ITV tonight at 9pm.

Sold: Byfleet Manor in Surrey, a 17th century mansion on the site of an estate pre-dating the Domesday Book, was once home to royalty

Sold: Byfleet Manor in Surrey, a 17th century mansion on the site of an estate pre-dating the Domesday Book, was once home to royalty

Chandeliers: The 6,000 sq ft home was put on the market for £3.95million, and offered with separate lots - before selling for £5.95million

Chandeliers: The 6,000 sq ft home was put on the market for £3.95million, and offered with separate lots - before selling for £5.95million

Living space: Savills confirmed it was a British person who bought the manor, with the sale representing a bumper profit for its last owner

Living space: Savills confirmed it was a British person who bought the manor, with the sale representing a bumper profit for its last owner

Hallway: It was bought a decade ago for £1million, before the owner renovated it while holding weddings on the picturesque estate

Hallway: It was bought a decade ago for £1million, before the owner renovated it while holding weddings on the picturesque estate

Downton Abbey series six
Downton Abbey with Lady Maggie Smith

Period drama: In Downton Abbey (left) it is Dower House, home to Lady Violet Crawley (right), the dowager played by Dame Maggie Smith

Back in time: The house has eight bedrooms, four reception rooms and 18 acres of land along with stunning period features

Back in time: The house has eight bedrooms, four reception rooms and 18 acres of land along with stunning period features

New version: Byfleet Manor, as it stands today, was built in around 1686 although many details from an earlier palace were incorporated

New version: Byfleet Manor, as it stands today, was built in around 1686 although many details from an earlier palace were incorporated

Sleeping quarters: The property has also been used for a number of other period dramas including Poirot and Cranford

Sleeping quarters: The property has also been used for a number of other period dramas including Poirot and Cranford

Dining room: The estate’s history extends back as far as the 7th century and is first recorded in 1086 in the Domesday Book

Dining room: The estate’s history extends back as far as the 7th century and is first recorded in 1086 in the Domesday Book

Exterior: Simon Ashwell, head of Savills Weybridge, said the estate agent 'received interest from a very wide spectrum of potential buyers'

Exterior: Simon Ashwell, head of Savills Weybridge, said the estate agent 'received interest from a very wide spectrum of potential buyers'

A MANOR RESIDED IN BY MANY A KING: HOW BYFLEET MANOR'S ESTATE DATES BACK TO THE 7TH CENTURY

Henry VIII is said to have spent stints of his childhood at Byfleet

Henry VIII is said to have spent stints of his childhood at Byfleet

The estate’s history extends back as far as the 7th century and is first recorded in 1086 in the Domesday Book when reference is made to Byfleet having a manor.

While fictionally known for its aristocratic connections in Downton Abbey, by 1307 the Manor of Byfleet, then a royal hunting lodge, was owned by the Crown for more than 300 years.

During this time several royal figures lived at, gifted, destroyed and rebuilt the house.

King Edward I and II are noted to have stayed frequently at Byfleet. Edward III then gifted it to his mother Isabella as part of her dower.

The Black Prince bred his horses on the estate while Henry VIII is said to have spent stints of his childhood at Byfleet.

He subsequently granted it to Katherine of Aragon in her divorce and Queen Elizabeth I visited in 1576. 

The last royal owner was the Queen Consort Anne of Denmark, wife of King James I.

Byfleet Manor, as it stands today, was built in around 1686 - although many details from an earlier palace were incorporated, including the heavy timber staircase and several fireplaces.

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