Thousands attend Battle Proms and Heroes at Highclere events
On Saturday, the grounds of the home of Downton Abbey were packed as guest brought along their hampers and champers to enjoy an evening of live music .
Despite earlier downpour, which saw flash floods across parts of the district on Saturday afternoon, the sun came out just in time to allow a glorious evening of summer weather.
The music - which featured a celebration of soul-stirring classical favourites, performed by the New English Concert Orchestra, was complemented by 193 cannons, plus musket fire and fireworks.
The unmistakable sound of the Spitfire engine accompanied the concert’s opening piece.
The summer evening closed with a traditional sing-along, flag-waving proms finale, including favourites Jerusalem, Rule Britannia, and Land of Hope and Glory - with the classic songs culminating in a fireworks display.
On Sunday the crowds flocked to the castle once again to attend the ‘Heroes at Highclere’ event, which commemorated the 100th anniversary of the First World War.
Crowds were wowed by Ariel displays from a Spitfire, the Red Devils Parachute Regiment freefall team and a 1944 Mustang called Ferocious Frankie which has a top speed of 505mph.
There were also eight hot air balloons from the Army Air Corps as well as the Navy and a small Army hopper single seater, static helicopters, and a vintage cars display including Rolls-Royce's and Jaguar's.
The event also feature live music from 2008 X Factor winner Alexandra Burke as well as The Portsmouth Military Wives Choir and three part vocal harmony group The Spitfire Sisters.
A celebrity football match featuring some players from the Bayer Leverkusen team - currently playing in the Bundesliga - the top tier of the German football league system - will also take place. Their opponents will be a British All Stars Team.
Lord and Lady Carnarvon wanted the match to take place to recreate the famous "Christmas truce" of 1914, where German and English troops played a friendly game in the ‘no-mans land’ of the battlefields.
For the full report and pictures of both events, see this week's Newbury Weekly News, out on Thursday.