It can be argued that some of the most memorable period dramas are built on the homes they inhabit.
So often do authors use the grand settings of stately homes as essential points of reference for their richly woven narratives, that visiting famous film locations has become a major travel drawcard for anyone looking to indulge their fictional fantasies with real-life experiences.
Case in point, Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, which counts the notable locations referred to throughout its pages, as some of the most memorable in the author’s repertoire. Particularly, the family home and estate belonging to one, Mr. Darcy, otherwise known as Pemberley.
Fans of the enemies-to-lovers tale of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy know Pemberley well, as it was upon seeing the “large, handsome, stone building” that Lizzie’s preconceived notions of Mr Darcy first begin to falter.
Like the brooding Darcy himself, Pemberley’s imposing force leaves quite the impression on Lizzie, as Austen narrates during her first visit to the grand estate.
“Its banks were neither formal, nor falsely adorned. Elizabeth was delighted. She had never seen a place where nature had done more, or where natural beauty had been so little counteracted by an awkward taste. They were all of them warm in their admiration; and at that moment she felt that to be mistress of Pemberley might be something!”
A sight to behold, indeed, that up until recently remained in our imaginations, most ardently. That was, until we discovered that – not only can you visit the real life Pemberley – but you can now stay on its storied grounds, bringing us one step closer to living out our own literary fantasies one Austen location at a time.
Can You Stay In Mr. Darcy’s House?
While you can’t stay in Mr Darcy’s fictional Pemberley House, you can stay at the estate used as the location for his grand house in Joe Wright’s 2005 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice starring Keira Knightly and Matthew Macfadyen.
Fans of the film can live out their Austen dreams with a tour of the iconic Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, England, most months of the year, but to avoid disappointing oneself, it’s best to book in advance.
Austen aficionados will recognise rooms such as the Painted Hall and its grand staircase, where Lizzie and the Gardiners are first introduced to the beguiling building and begin their tour of Pemberley.
The film’s memorable sculpture gallery scene, in which a conversation with Darcy’s housekeeper provides an integral moment of realisation for Lizzie, was also filmed within Chatsworth House, and is available to view on select days throughout the year.
Fun fact; the bust of Mr. Darcy displayed in the scene was kept by the estate’s owners, albeit relocated to the orangery, for visitors to admire.
Can’t make it out to the estate just yet? Worry not gentle readers, for the famous figurehead has proven to be such a popular drawcard for Austen fans, that a replica is now available to purchase from the Chatsworth House shop.
If the full Elizabeth Bennet experience is what you’re after, then the multiple accommodation options around the estate will prove most sufficient for those wanting to immerse themselves in the Pride & Prejudice universe for as long as possible.
What Is The Location of Pemberley In Pride and Prejudice?
Chatsworth, which is also the largest private country house in England, is home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, who’ve been the caretakers of the estate since it was first built by the Cavendish family in the 17th century.
Rumour has it that the literary version of Mr Darcy’s Pemberley was based on the very real Chatsworth. And given that it was only down the road from Bakewell, the town where Jane Austen was staying when she wrote the novel between 1796 ad 1797, it’s not a wild theory either.
Austen describes the Derbyshire estate, most commonly accepted to be inspired by Chatsworth, in great detail throughout the novel, and even mentions it specifically (though in a smaller capacity) as a place Elizabeth Bennet visits prior to arriving at the fictional Pemberley.
And while we’ll never truly know if the rumours are entirely correct, we do know that the closer we can get to Mr. Darcy, the better. So excuse us while we add Chatsworth to our dream literary itinerary with haste.
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