Pride and Prejudice

Austen in Bakewell

It is believed that Jane Austen may have based her idea of Pemberley on Chatsworth House and written the novel while visiting Bakewell.

"The eye was instantly caught by Pemberley House, situated on the opposite side of the valley into which the road into some abruptness wound."

"It was a large, handsome, stone building standing well on rising ground, and backed by a ridge of high woody hills; and in front, a stream of some natural importance was swelled into greater, but without any artificial appearance. Its banks were neither formal, nor falsely adorned."

Chatsworth was also mentioned in the novel as one of the estates Elizabeth Bennet visits before arriving at Pemberley.

Locations

If you visit the house, you may recognise the grand staircase and ceiling of the Painted Hall where Lizzie and the Gardiners start their tour of Pemberley.

The Sculpture Gallery was used in the scene where Elizabeth Bennet sees the bust of Mr Darcy, and his housekeeper describes his many good qualities. You will also recognise the beautiful veiled Vestal Virgin sculpture from the same scene, which is on display in the house.

The scene in the Sculpture Gallery was originally set to be in a gallery of paintings, as it is in Austen's novel, but Director Joe Wright adapted the staging to make use of Chatsworth's extensive sculpture collection.

Mr Darcy at Chatsworth

As a souvenir from the filming, we still have the original bust of Mr Darcy, played by Matthew Macfadyen.

The bust is made of resin mixed with marble dust and was created by Nick Dutton in 2004 as a prop for the film. It can be found in the Orangery shop, through the Sculpture Gallery.

You can buy your own Darcy bust, along with other Austen inspired items in our gift shops and online shop. 

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Film stills courtesy of Focus Features. All Rights Reserved.