Photo © Universal Pictures, photo by Alex Bailey

Pride & Prejudice Filming Locations
by Grace Sydney

Although written in the early 1800's, Jane Austen's quill plunged deep into the well of universal human emotions, striking a chord of romantic yearning which resonates down through the ages. Her words catch hold of the hearts and minds of movie audiences today, who eagerly follow the budding romance between Elizabeth Bennet (played by Keira Knightley) and Mr. Darcy (Matthew MacFadyen) as they engage in a war of wills in which the ultimate victor is love.

Filming Locations

Groombridge Place

While the 17th century manor in Tunbridge Wells which served as the Bennet family home is a private residence, the owners gladly share the beauty of its grounds with the public from late March through early November, when visitors can tread the gravel paths of the formal gardens and enjoy the laughter of children playing in the Enchanted Forest. Those who wander near the moat which stretches languidly over a serene body of water may experience a spectral encounter, as several accounts of a benign spirit, the ghost of a former estate worker, have been recorded since 1808, including a sighting by the master of suspense, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Basildon Park

The first fateful glance shared between Lizzie and Mr. Darcy takes place at Netherfield Park, the rented residence of Mr. Bingley, which was portrayed in the movie by the 18th century mansion Basildon Park. Situated on 400 acres in Reading, Berkshire, it seems as though the echo of dancing feet from the ball scene can still be discerned in the west front and in the Octagon Room, where cast members mingled beneath the glitter of chandeliers dangling from the Italianate ceiling. Guided tours of this National Trust property are available from late March through late October.

Chatsworth, South Front & Canal © Gary Rogers

Lizzie Bennett in the Sculpture Gallery © Universal Pictures, photo by Alex Bailey

Lizzie Bennett on the steps at Pemberley © Universal Pictures, photo by Alex Bailey

Chatsworth, Painted Hall © Chatsworth House Trust

Wilton House

Jane Austen aficionados will doubtless recognize the Double Cube room from the ball sequence in the 1995 interpretation of "Sense and Sensibility." The same room of this 16th century abode took on another life as the drawing room at Pemberley during filming. Situated on 14,000 acres in Salisbury, visitors can walk the lacquered floors that have felt the footfall of every monarch of the British empire since King George II, as the figures of the home's former residents peer out at the crowd from the Van Dyck paintings hanging on the walls. Both the mansion and the gardens are open to the public annually from April through September.

Chatsworth House

Revered throughout the centuries as one of the most romantic figures in literature, the character of Mr. Darcy needed a residence to equal the quiet dignity possessed by its inhabitant, and for the 2005 cinematic adaptation of the classic novel there could be no better choice than the architectural wonder believed to have been Jane Austen's inspiration for Pemberley-- Chatsworth House.

Home to the current Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, this 17th century edifice nestled in Peak District National Park in Derbyshire is open to the public from mid-May through mid-December for self-guided or private behind the scenes tours though 26 rooms, including the Painted Hall, where Lizzie's tour of Pemberley begins in the movie, and the Sculpture Gallery, where the heroine comes face to face with a carved bust of her future suitor, which can be seen today by visitors.

Embracing the "Palace of the Peak," the 105-acre garden is a haven for lovers who picnic on the immaculately-groomed lawns and lose themselves in the conservatory maze before, like the lovers in the movie, they share a kiss by the reflection of the canal pond, the sound of their hearts in harmony with the rush of exploding water from the Emperor Fountain as each droplet reaches for heaven.

Haddon Hall

Watching the scene at Lambton Inn, film buffs will recognize the regal ambiance Haddon Hall's 14th century Banqueting Hall from the award-winning "Elizabeth" and the cult hit, "The Princess Bride." A silent witness to the passage of time since the 12th century, Haddon Hall has its own love story to tell in the 16th century romance of Dorothy Verdon. Forbidden to wed her true love, the daughter of the stately home's proprietor rebelled against her father's wishes and escaped the manor, fleeing to All Saints' Church, where Sir John Manners waited to make her his bride. Visitors can walk the path Dorothy took to her beloved each day from late March through the end of September, and from Thursday through Sunday during the month of October.

Burghley House

A formidable presence lording over a 300-acre deer park in Stamford, Lincolnshire, this former home of Queen Elizabeth I's principal adviser served as Rosings, the residence of Lady Catherine de Bourg (Dame Judi Dench) in the cinematic feature. Among the many areas of the house open to the public from late March through late October is The Heaven Room, which played the role of the aristocrat's drawing room.

Filled with ornate Baroque furnishings, the room is accented with murals by Italian artist Antonio Verrio, depicting celestial beings which seemingly struggle to break free of the surface which holds them fast, little knowing that The Hell Staircase, Verrio's vision of the underworld, lies just outside the door.

For more information:

• Groombridge Place
  
• Haddon Hall
• Burghley House
• Basildon Park:
  
• Wilton House
  
• Chatsworth House