Downton Abbey, the critically acclaimed British television series, has captured attention the world over, making it one of the most widely watched dramas in TV history. How does this fiction based in truth relate to Houghton Hall, the great English country house built in the 18th century by Sir Robert Walpole and maintained, to this day, by members of the Cholmondeley family?

This Artful Thursday explores the striking differences and similarities between life in a fictional and a real English country house.

While you are at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, see the exhibition Houghton Hall: Portrait of an English Country House for just $15. Admission provides access to the entire museum.