Death, debt and drama promise a riveting season as Downton Abbey’s fourth series, which has just ended in the UK, begins on PBS‘s Masterpiece. But while the Earl of Grantham  and his family face an uphill struggle to restore the estate’s fortunes, the real life Downton Abbeys—the many magnificent country houses that dot the English countryside—look set to make their comeback this year.

Highclere Castle is the setting for TV series Downton Abbey (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Even though the London property market rebounded quickly from the 2008 recession, the flow of money into the English regions remained sluggish for the last five years, with country house prices at best static, if not declining. At the end of 2013, however, all signs pointed to renewed confidence in the country market. New research by global real estate advisor Knight Frank shows that values for prime country houses rose by 1.4% in the last quarter of the year and are expected to grow a further 3.4% in 2014. Demand went up by 16.1% and is likely to remain as high, or go even higher, this year.

Price increases in 2013 have been most noticeable for lower-value country houses (below £2 million) and for the very top end of the market—those Downtonesque estates priced at more than £5 million. The middle range has seen less growth because it has been hampered both by higher stamp duty (the rate for properties costing more than £2 million is 7%) and by talks of a possible mansion tax for house priced more than £2 million.

For the same reasons, Knight Frank expects that the lower bracket of the country house market will perform better than higher priced properties in 2014. The company’s analysts forecast a 5% increase in value for homes priced less than £1 million and 4% for those priced between £1 million and £2 million. Houses worth £2 million or more are forecast to rise by a more modest 2% although the grandest estates, priced at £5 million or more, may achieve a stronger figure because they are relatively scarce. Overall, the sector will grow by 3.5%, marking a step change over the decline recorded in previous years.

But how easy is it to buy your very own Downton Abbey in today’s England? The setting of the TV series, Highclere Castle, in Newbury, is something of a marvel. “It’s a Victorian evocation of an Elizabethan castle, inspired particularly by Wollaton, Nottinghamshire of the 1580s,” says Dr John Goodall, a country house expert and the author of The English Castle. “It’s far from being a slavish copy, however, and its designer Sir Charles Barry, clearly delighted in the fantastical possibilities of later Tudor detailing and design.”

So if you are looking to stay true to the Downton backdrop, you’d want to look for a Victorian reinterpretation of Tudor style, and there is currently little on the market in this style. If you are simply after a grand country estate, however, your choice is wider. Even though the English country house market traditionally starts in Spring, some grand, Downton style mansions are already available for sale.

Dating from the Victorian times, like Highclere Castle, is Grade II-listed Dunstall Hall, a spectacular house with twelve bedrooms, ballroom and music room in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire. Set in 85.7 acres, it comes with cricket pitch, lake and lush parkland—all for £4 million through realtors Strutt Parker.

Dunstall Hall dates from the same period as Highclere Castle, the setting for Downton Abbey

Also listed Grade II, Nazeing Park, in Nazeing, on the border between Essex and Hertfordshire, dates from an earlier era—it was built in Palladian style for William Palmer, a wealthy mercer—but “its floor plan beautifully mirrors that we are so familiar with from Downton,” according to spokeswoman Alice Lacey. “It has small bedrooms, originally designed for servants, on the top floor, and a maze of store rooms in the basement.”  It also has seven grand reception rooms—the dining room, with its exquisitely ornate ceiling is especially attractive—a 33′ master bedroom and some striking trompe-l-oeils. The asking price is £8.25 million through Jackson-Stops Staff.

Nazeing Park has a similar floor plan to Downton Abbey’s

By contrast, Grade I-listed Brereton Hall, set in 113 acres in Brereton, Cheshire, is the perfect Elizabethan manor, of the type that provided inspiration for Highclere’s architect. The grandeur of its twin octagonal towers and battlement walls is matched inside by a grand staircase, the finely panelled sitting room and the magnificent drawing room with fireplace featuring Elizabeth I’s coat of arms.

Brereton Hall comes complete with a story to match Downton Abbey’s fiction

The manor also comes with a gripping story to rival the best in Downton Abbey: legend has it that Sir William Brereton, who built the hall in the 16th century, was interrupted by his valet while he was having dinner and, in a fit of rage, murdered him. Shocked at what he had done, he went to court to ask the King’s pardon. The King decreed that Sir William had the days to find a way to muzzle a particularly dangerous bear in the Royal menagerie, or the bear would provide his punishment. The crafty Sir William managed to invent a muzzle and throw it over the bear’s head, saving his own life. From that day, the muzzled bear became part of the family’s emblem and now takes pride of place in many rooms of the house. The asking price for this twelve-bedroom estate is £6.5 million through Jackson-Stops Staff.