Film Locations of Pride and Prejudice (1995)
- Audrey Wang
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
Audrey Wang is a high school freshman. She is an editor and regular writer for Penrose Magazine. In her free time, she loves volunteering, coding, and reading. Audrey is excited to write for the Jane Austen Summer Program!
Pride and Prejudice (1995) is one of the most beloved adaptations. Many praise its unforgettable cast, but we must also remember the beautiful locations that are featured in the miniseries.
Longbourn
The search for a suitable Longbourn began at Lacock village in Wiltshire. Lacock was suggested as the location of Meryton. From there, the location manager (Sam Breckman) drove until he saw Luckington Court.
The discovery was extraordinary. After all, the requirements were long and many. Longbourn needed a drawing room, dining room, library, large hall, staircase, landings, and three bedrooms, as well as extensive gardens for scenes such as Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s meeting with Elizabeth. It had to look like a respectable house but not too grand for the Bennets. The house also needed to be from the right period and not have any modern appliances that would be too difficult and costly to get rid of. The owner had to be willing to endure weeks of preparation and filming.
Miraculously, Luckington Court was exactly perfect, and the owner (Angela Horn) was very accommodating. A team of carpenters and painters moved into the house three weeks before filming to transform it. Furniture, lights, and heating systems were removed.
Pemberley
As the home of Mr. Darcy, Pemberley needed to display wealth and power without garishness. Many consider Chatsworth House a fitting option (it became Pemberley in the 2005 movie), but Chatsworth is actually referred to in its own right in Pride and Prejudice.
'In that county [Derbyshire] there was enough to be seen to occupy the chief of their three weeks; and to Mrs. Gardiner it had a peculiarly strong attraction. The town where she had formerly passed some years of her life, and where they were now to spend a few days, was probably as great an object of her curiosity as all the celebrated beauties of Matlock, Chatsworth, Dovedale, or the Peak.' -Chapter 42
Breckman settled on Lyme Park as the final choice. It is located on the border of Cheshire and Derbyshire and has stunning scenery, including a lake that was used for Colin Firth’s famous scene.
However, the gorgeous interiors of Pemberley weren’t filmed in Lyme Park. A change in management during the filming period meant the cast and crew could only film the exterior of the house. Fortunately, Breckman found Sudbury Hall in Derbyshire. It was not too far away, and the interior scenes were filmed there.
Rosings
Breckman found Rosings in Belton House in Lincolnshire. It is a Restoration country house with formal Italian and Dutch gardens. The lush, green park, with its “verdure of the early trees”, allowed for many shots, such as Elizabeth’s fateful conversation with Colonel Fitzwilliam, as well as Elizabeth and Darcy’s walks together. Attached to Belton House is a small church, which fits Mr. Collins’ duty as a clergyman.
The parsonage is one of the most important locations of the miniseries, being the place Darcy’s first proposal occurred. It needed to be found in the same area as Belton House and next to a similar church for continuity. The Old Rectory at Teigh in Leicestershire was chosen because it had gardens, which one can imagine Mr. Collins tending to.
Netherfield
Edgcote House in Northamptonshire, near Banbury, became the Netherfield Park that Mr. Bingley leased. All the exterior and interior scenes were shot here with the exception of the Netherfield ball.
The ball took place at Brocket Hall, near St Albans. The team faced a challenge here: they wanted to light a 60 feet by 25 feet room. Regency-era lighting was not up to the task. Director Simon Langton decided to erect small scaffolding pillars down both sides of the room for lights. They were disguised by evergreens and flowers.
Minor Locations
Scenes of Darcy in London streets and shots of Netherfield events occurred at the same time in the schedule, so Breckman had to pinpoint a place close to Edgcote House for the setting of London. This was a difficult task as modern streets had to be stripped of their anachronisms before designing and filming could begin. The location manager finally settled on Lord Leycester’s Hospital and the Leamington Spa for London shots.
The Red Lion pub in Lacock was used for the exterior of the Meryton assembly rooms. However, it didn’t have the large room necessary for the assembly scenes, so the interior scenes were shot in a set made in a studio.
Lengthy negotiations had to be made for Lacock village (Meryton) since it is owned by the National Trust. The main street was closed for filming, and the tarmac surfaces were covered in grass and soil for a more period-accurate look.
The locations featured in Pride and Prejudice (1995) are some of the most cherished jewels of the country. Do you have a favourite estate? Comment down below.
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