This could be you!

OK, so Pemberley might be an imaginary place, but the beautiful stately homes that play the role in the 1995 BBC adaptation and the 2005 movie certainly fill its britches admirably. Likewise, the other houses chosen for Longbourn, Netherfield and Rosings have also become hugely evocative locations for P&P fans. For lovers of the novel and the wider world of Pride and Prejudice, a wedding in one of these venues would be almost too romantic to bear. Add to this the Regency suits and dresses, the carriages and servants – not to mention the fact that you’d be (hopefully!) marrying the love of your life – and it would be enough to turn all but the most waterproof of mascaras into an inky stream of tears.

Here are some Pride and Prejudice wedding venues you could choose from if you are lucky enough to be considering any kind of Austen-themed wedding. Most are available for both civil ceremonies and receptions, and we’ve included all the links so you can easily find out more. If anyone has already had such a wedding, you simply MUST let us know!

Longbourn

Luckington Court

If you like the idea of having your family running around you like headless Mrs Bennets as you prepare for your big day, then Luckington Court, which plays Longbourn in the BBC series, would be a nice option. Brides and their families are given exclusive access to the master en-suite bedroom during the day, giving everyone a private place to laugh, cry and complain about their nerves as the wedding progresses. The house can accommodate up to 80 people. Up to 400 can be accommodated in a marquee on the lawn.

Luckington Court is in the village of Luckington, in the Cotswolds. It’s 100 miles from London, 24 miles from Stroud, 22 miles from Bristol and 18 miles from Bath.

Here is Luckington Court’s website.

Pemberley

Lyme Park, which plays Pemberley in the BBC show, isn’t available for weddings but it is possible to rent a cottage on the estate for a perfect honeymoon.

On the other hand, Sudbury Hall in Derbyshire, which is also used for the interior Pemberley shots in the BBC Pride and Prejudice series, is available for civil weddings. The saloon, a room which does feature in the show, can seat 40 people and has room for another 60 standing. The price is £680, but you’ll need to consult the management to find out exactly what this covers.

Sudbury Hall

Ceremonies only take place on Mondays and Tuesdays, usually between April and October. Winter weddings may also be possible by arrangement. Click here for more information about weddings at Sudbury Hall.

The magnificent Chatsworth House, Pemberley in the 2005 Pride and Prejudice movie, is available for weddings between April and November. The Hartington Room can seat up to 90 guests for the ceremony. The Rose Garden and Stables Courtyard are available for wedding photos, and the Carriage House restaurant can accommodate up to 200 people for evening receptions.

Chatsworth House

Have a look at their wedding page here or download the wedding brochure.

Chatsworth is near Matlock in the Peak District, is 25 miles from Chesterfield and about 30 miles from Sheffield.

The other Pemberley in the 2005 movie is Wilton House, which has wedding packages from £3000. There’s not much information on their website so you’ll need to contact them for more information. Wilton is near Salisbury in Wiltshire.

Rosings

Rosings would make a slightly unusual wedding venue for Pride and Prejudice fans, since its something of a villain in the BBC TV series. However, Belton House, Lady Catherine’s residence in the show, is a beautiful building set in beautiful formal gardens and parkland. It’s also the location of some of the show’s most romantic scenes.

Belton House

Various rooms are made available for civil ceremonies, with capacities ranging from 12 to 60 guests. Prices range from £600 to £2000 plus taxes, depending on the room chosen and the day of the wedding. Photographs can be taken in the formal gardens for an additional fee.

Belton House is three miles north of Grantham in Lincolnshire. Here is its homepage.

You can also have your wedding in Burghley House, Rosings in the 2005 movie. You can download a wedding information pack here.

Burghley House

There are three licensed rooms and, for receptions, the Great Hall can seat 110 people for dinner and the Orangery can accept up to 80. More are possible for drinks receptions. Most excitingly, you can be given exclusive use of the house for your wedding.

Burghley House is near Stamford, 90 miles north of London.

Netherfield

Netherfield in the 2005 movie is played by Basildon Park, seven miles north-west of Reading in southeastern England. Netherfield is given a certain coldness in the movie, with Joe Wright wanting to represent it as a temporary place of residence without the warmth of a true ‘home.’ However, let’s not blame the property itself, which is a beautiful 18th Century mansion.

Basildon Park

Prices are all TBC but two rooms are made available. The Grand Hall can seat 70 people and the Garden Room can cope with 60. Marquee receptions on the lawn are possible, starting from £3000.

More on weddings at Basildon Park is available here.

Well, that’s about it for the venues. Other aspects of having a Pride and Prejudice wedding, like costumes and carriages and so on, will be covered in later posts. Once the minor detail of finding a husband has been taken care of, we’ll have pretty much all the information you need for a perfect P&P wedding.

Once again, if you’ve already had one, or are planning such an event, we’d love to hear about it!

Your fabulously fantasizing friend,

Lizzy

Allerton Castle (Rosings)

Allerton Castle, near the town of Knaresborough in north Yorkshire, plays Lady Catherine’s lair in Lost in Austen, complete with the ‘clasping buttresses’ so admired by Mr Collins. Set in 200 acres of parkland and formal gardens, not to mention the stunning north Yorkshire countryside, the present house was built between 1848 and 1854. The building is available for almost every occasion: weddings, private parties, corporate events, and also of course the filming of irreverent Pride and Prejudice spin-off TV series.

Allerton Castle is the ancestral home of Lord Mowbray, Segrave and Stourton. (I had to re-read this several times to establish that this is only one person!) The ceiling of the Great Hall, which is the entrance to Allerton Castle, is over 80ft high, making it one of the grandest rooms in England.

According to the website, the bedrooms in the house are said to be ‘perfect for your wedding night,’ a statement which they follow with a mischievous three dots…

Harewood House (Pemberley)

Harewood House, also in north Yorkshire, is the home of the Earl and Countess of Harewood (two people!) In 2009, the house won Enjoy England’s Large Visitor Attraction of the Year, so expect plenty to do if you have the good fortune to be able to visit the property. The building was constructed in the middle of the 18th Century, from the ill-gotten proceeds of the West Indian sugar trade, and sits in a landscape garden designed by ‘Capability’ Brown.

You can tour the house for its interiors, galleries and tearooms, and also visit the kitchen and servants’ quarters under the stairs. Outside, there is a bird garden, containing over 100 species including penguins, and an obligatory adventure playground for kids.

There is also an impressive array of events, from drive-in movies to a visit from the Moscow State Circus, and regular exhibitions. Weddings are also possible for the financially more generously endowed. The standard entry price for adults is eleven pounds.

Here is the website.

Bramham Biggin (Longbourn)

Bramham Biggin, a house on the grand Bramham Park estate, plays Longbourn in Lost in Austen. The site had been used since medieval times as a monestry and has housed various families, including that of MP Charles Allenson. In the 19th Century the house was used as a college, and then returned to its former use as a residence. At the time of the filming of Lost in Austen, the house was completely stripped bare, given the filmmakers maximum freedom to use the interiors as they wished.

For details of the estate, see the website link under Netherfield (Bramham Park.)

Bramham Park (Netherfield)

Bramham Park is another house laid open to visitors and boasting a range of attractions and events. The West Yorkshire house was built in 1698 and its landscape was laid over the following 30 years by the appropriately entitled 1st Lord Bingley, Robert Benson. The focus of the property is the garden. ‘Bramham Park is a grand and unusual house,” wrote historian Nikolaus Pevsner, cited on the house’s website, ‘but its gardens are grander and even more unusual.’

It was designed as a summer residence only, which explains its relatively modest size in relation to the spectacular grounds. The pond at Bramham Park is also used for the Pemberley lake scene with Amanda and Mr Darcy.

To visit, you’ll need to make an appointment but it’s only four pounds for adults and two pounds for concession tickets.

Here is Bramham Park’s website.

Your stately friend,

Lizzy

Longbourn – Luckington Court

Longbourn was played by Luckington Court in Wiltshire. Location Manager Sam Breckham spotted the house and simply knocked on the door and asked permission to use it for filming. The owner, Angela Horn, jumped at the chance to have sixty or seventy people traipse through her property for a period of 10 weeks. ‘You have to be willing to go the whole hog’ she says in ‘The Making of Pride and Prejudice.’ ‘When I first decided to have the film crew here I expected to suffer a lot from being displaced. After all, I’ve lived undisturbed here for the last 40 years. But instead, I’ve never been happier. Everyone in the crew works from dawn till dusk, but they’re always cheerful.’

Luckington Court was built as early as 1600, but a house has existed on the same plot of land since the 11th Century. It is available for weddings (now there’s a romantic fantasy for you!) and also corporate functions, etc. Its website contains some interesting historical notes and other pieces of information, and can be found at http://www.luckingtoncourt.co.uk/.

Pemberley – Lyme Park

For exterior scenes, Lyme Park on the Staffordshire/Derbyshire border was used. The cast and crew were not able to use it for interior scenes due to a change in management during the filming period. Sam Breckham said that ‘Some people think Jane Austen was thinking of Chatsworth House as Pemberley, but in fact Chatsworth is referred to in its own right in Pride and Prejudice.’ Of course, this doesn’t rule out the possibility that Jane Austen was inspired by Chatsworth, and it surely makes a great Pemberley in the 2005 movie!

An addition to the tudor house, converted in the 18th Century into an Italianate palace, Lyme Park also boasts a Deer Park, moorland and woodland on its estate. There are guided tours and events, and exhibitions and educational activities, as well as cycling and walking routes for the more active visitor. Admission is reasonably priced.

Here is its website: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-lymepark.

Pemberley – Sudbury Hall

The interior scenes of Pemberley were shot in Sudbury Hall in Derbyshire. Sudbury Hall is a 17th Century house, famous for its interiors and its grand gallery and staircase. The house runs ‘Meet the Butler’ tours, which sound like a great way to learn about life ‘below the stairs.’ Sudbury Hall was also used in the BBC’s adaptation of Jane Eyre. By the way, Sudbury Hall is also available for weddings for well-endowed wallets.

Read about Sudbury Hall here: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-sudburyhall.htm

Rosings – Belton Park

Belton Park in Lincolnshire was chosen as Rosings Park. Breckham describes it as ‘a splendid Restoration country house with wonderfully formal gardens to the front and rising parkland to the side.’ The gardens provide a wonderful backdrop to the scene in which Mr. Collins bores everyone with his description of Rosings’ many windows. Rosings is an intimidating place in the story, but Belton is a versatile performer, having also featured in Jane Eyre and Tom Jones.

Like Lyme Park and Sudbury Hall, Belton House is a National Trust property and open to visitors, who can explore the house and grounds. There is a silver and furniture collection, deer park and even an orangery. Kids and adults can dress up in Victorian clothing, and there is a large adventure playground too. Rooms are decorated in 17th-century, Regency, Victorian and 1930s styles.

Here is the website: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-beltonhouse.htm

Netherfield – Edgcote House

Netherfield, the rented home of Charles Bingley, is played by Edgcote House near Banbury in Oxfordshire. The house is privately owned and visits are by written appointment only. The house was built between 1748 and 1754 and comes with 1,700 acres of farmland, houses and cottages. In 2005, the estate was sold to a mystery buyer for an undisclosed fee. Okay, I admit it – it was me.

Not really.

Lizzy

Joe Wright’s Pride and Prejudice movie was admirable because of the space it gave to its starring cast – not only Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen but the beautiful houses and gardens that gave such a stunning look and feel to the film. If you are reading this from outside the UK and thinking of visiting England for a Pride and Prejudice pilgrimage, then here is a rundown of the country houses cast in this visually most agreeable motion picture. If you are in the UK then of course you will know where all the places are, but hopefully you will still find the links useful. The big question is, however, when you win the lottery, which one are you going to buy?

Longbourn – Groombridge Place

Groombridge Place in the English county of Kent plays the role of Longbourn in the movie. The house is surrounded by a moat, which was built in the 13th Century, and the current house was erected in 1662. Tunbridge Wells, the town in which Groombridge Place is located, is in the south east of England, and is easily reachable from London. Director Joe Wright uses Groombridge for wonderful camera swoops from the outside of the house to the interior. Wright said he liked the idea of a house with a moat, to suggest the idea of five virgin sisters on an island. The formal gardens are open to visitors and special events are also held there.

Here is the homepage of Groombridge Place.

Netherfield – Basildon Park

Netherfield is portrayed by Basildon Park, an 18th Century Palladian mansion, restored in the 1950s to its present glory. It has been in the ownership of the National Trust for 30 years, and currently has a program of events to celebrate this. Basildon Park is in Reading in Berkshire, again easily accessible from London. Joe Wright said that he was looking for a manor with a certain coldness or un-homely feel, to reflect the fact that Bingley was only renting the property. The house and gardens are open to visitors and there are regular events and guided tours.

The National Trust’s Basildon Park page can be found here.

Rosings – Burghley House

Rosings is played by the grand Burghley House in Lincolnshire, north of London but still in the south east of England. The house, built by Queen Elizabeth ‘s lord high Treasurer, took over 32 years to complete, and was finished in 1587. Burghley House has also starred in The Da Vinci Code and Elizabeth; The Golden Age.  It is surrounded by a 2000 acre park and garden, which includes a deer park and sculpture garden. Public access to the park is granted 365 days a year free of charge.

This is Burghley House’s homepage.

Pemberley – Chatsworth House

Pemberley is played by the stunning Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, the county in which Mr. Darcy is, of course, said to live. Chatsworth House is the most visited stately home in the UK and has been repeatedly voted its most popular. It is at least a three hour drive from London, but contains an impressive art collection and is located in stunning countryside bordering England’s Peak District. It is therefore surely worth the journey for overseas Pride and Prejudice visitors to the UK. The main block of the house was built between 1687 and 1707, but a house has existed on the site since the 1550s. Various sources believe that Jane Austen had Chatsworth in mind when she conceived of the Pemberley estate.

Chatsworth’s impressive website is located here.

Pemberley II – Wilton House

Wilton House is Chatsworth’s body double in the 2005 movie. Chatsworth was too expensive for use in all the Pemberley scenes, so Wilton House bravely stepped in. Wilton House is home to the current Earl of Pembroke, and has been his ancestors’ residence for the past 450 years. The beautiful interior, famed for its elegant, airy corridors, was used in, for example, the scene in which Elizabeth wanders around Pemberley until chancing upon Mr. Darcy and his sister, Georgiana. Wilton House is within a few miles from Salisbury, a beautiful historical city in the south west of England.

Wilton House’s website is here.