A NORTHERN RETREAT FOR A ROYAL: THE KINGMAKER'S DAUGHTER/MIDDLEHAM CASTLE

 The Kingmaker’s Daughter by Philippa Gregory is the story of Anne Neville, daughter of Richard Neville, otherwise known as the “Kingmaker”, and briefly the wife of King Richard III.  A repeated theme throughout the story is the threat posed by the Queen Consort Elizabeth Woodville, arch enemy of Richard Nevill, who is suspected of poisoning those close to Anne, To get away from this threat, Anne repeatedly decamps to her home in the north at Middleham Castle in Yorkshire.

MiddlehamCJW. Photo by CJW, via Wikimedia Commons.

Middleham Castle lies in the village of Middleham, a short distance south of Leyburn in Wensleydale.  Building of the castle started in 1190, and from 1270 it was taken over by the Neville family..  The “Kingmaker” and his family occupied the castle in the 15th century, and the future King Richard III went to live there for a time in his younger years, then when he married Anne Neville they made it their home.  The castle is now managed by English Heritage, and there is an entrance fee to visit.

Map of the area.

COMEDY IN THE COTSWOLDS: THIS COUNTRY

 This Country is what is commonly known as a ‘mockumentary’ or mock documentary.  The series charts the lives of siblings Kerry (Daisy May Cooper) and Kurtan (Charlie Cooper), who live in a boring Cotswolds village. Daisy and Charlie, who also wrote the series, are brother and sister in real life.

The series was shot in a number of locations around the Cotswolds, but the main focus is Northleach, which features as Kerry and Kurtan’s home village.  The first episode opens with them at one of their favourite hangouts, the village bus stop.  The bus stop in real life offers connections to both Oxford and Cheltenham. Kerry’s home is a house on an estate in the village, and the house in real life is at 15 Fortey Road. 

Other locations in Northleach to look out for in the series include the village allotments, seen in an episode in which Kerry is put in charge of some chickens.  The village church in the series, St Mary’s, is played by the Church of St Peter and St Paul in the centre of Northleach, known as the Cathedral of the Cotswolds.  Meanwhile, the Westwoods Centre, a village sports and community centre, plays the role of the Vicar’s office.

Northleach is a classic Cotswold wool village; the wool trade hit the big time from 1340 to 1540 when a lot of money was made from exports to Europe.  The village church is a reminder of the prosperity enjoyed during that time.  Today the meadows surrounding the village still resound to the baas of the local sheep.  As well as looking up the locations used in This Country, visitors can explore The Old Prison and its cafe, and Keith Harding’s World of Mechanical Music.  The village lies just off the A40 14 miles east of Cheltenham.

Map of the area.

Northleach, 1994, Market Square - geograph.org.uk - 4707633. Photo by Ben Brooksbank, via Wikimedia Commons.

THREE LOCATIONS USED IN THE 2018 FILM MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS

 There have been a number of films made over the years about the relationship between Queen Elizabeth I and her first cousin once removed Mary Stuart, better known as Mary Queen of Scots.  One of the more recent films stars Saoirse Ronan as Mary and Margot Robbie as Elizabeth.  Here are three of the locations used in the film.

The film opens with Mary’s return to Scotland from France, where she had briefly been Queen, but her reign ended with the death of her husband Francis.  The ship carrying Mary landed at Leith on the outskirts of Edinburgh in 1561.  The beach used in this scene in the film is Seacliff Beach, North Berwick, a pleasant seaside town in East Lothian, a bit further south.

After landing at Leith Mary makes her way to Holyrood House in Edinburgh.  The exterior of Holyrood in the film was shot at Blackness Castle near Linlithgow.  Situated on a promontory on the south bank of the River Forth, just upstream from the Forth Road Bridge, Blackness Castle is a 15^th century castle owned by Historic Environment Scotland and is open to visitors year round.  The castle was originally built as a residence for the Crichtons, one of Scotland’s most powerful families at the time. 

Blackness Castle - geograph.org.uk - 1238628. Photo by Mike Pennington, via Wikimedia Commons.

 

Meanwhile, Elizabeth is based at Hampton Court Palace on the outskirts of London.  The exterior of the palace in the film was represented by the magnificent Hardwick Hall near Chesterfield in Derbyshire.  We see the tall facade of the building and the formal garden fronting it.  Hardwick Hall is owned by the National Trust, and among its treasures are some fine tapestries.  The cafe downstairs offers a range of tasty meals, coffees, teas and cakes. The property is fully open until the end of October, and partially open thereafter.

Hardwick Hall - geograph.org.uk - 3339472. Photo by Chris Heaton, via Wikimedia Commons.

LITERARY PUBS: THE STUBBING WHARF, HEBDEN BRIDGE

 

The poet Ted Hughes was born in Mytholmroyd in Calderdale (last seen in my post about Happy Valley), and he married the American poet Sylvia Plath.  In Hughes’ collection ‘Birthday Letters’ he recalls the day he and Sylvia sat in the bar of The Stubbing Wharf by the Rochdale Canal on the outskirts of the nearby Hebden Bridge.  They were arguing about where they would live, and Hughes paints a gloomy picture of the pub, describing “the gummy dark bar”, and its rainsodden surrounding with “the fallen-in grave of its history”, “a gorge of ruined mills and abandanoned chapels” and “the fouled nest of the Industrial Revolution that had flown”.  They ended up living in London.

Stubbing Wharf (3617762016). Photo by Tim Green, via Wikimedia Commons.

 

The Stubbing Wharf, established as a pub in 1810, is still going strong today, offering real ales and good pub food in an appealing canaside environment, just a short walk along the canal towpath from Hebden Bridge.  A short distance from the pub towards Hebden Bridge there are boat trips available on traditional canal barges.

Map of the area.

A MAJOR POET CELEBRATES A MINOR RIVER: RIVER DUDDON, CUMBRIA/WORDSWORTH

When a river forms the subject of a work of poetry, more often than not it is a major river.  The Thames, the Wye and other famous British rivers have been the subject of famous poems over the years.  So it is slightly puzzling that Wordsworth chose the obscure River Duddon as the subject of a series of sonnets.  It appears he may have found encouragement in a letter written by Robert Burns to a fellow poet, which Wordsworth read and quoted from frequently.  In the letter Burns asserted that the likes of the Thames, Seine et al had already been done to death in poetry, so better to seek inspiration “adown some trottin burn’s meander”. 

Be that as it may, an obvious reason for choosing the River Duddon is that it is close to where Wordsworth was living, in his beloved Lake District.  The birth of the river is described thus: “Child of the clouds ! remote from every taint//Of sordid industry thy lot is cast”.  The verse goes on for page after page, with sections headed ‘Flowers’, ‘The Stepping-Stones’, ‘The Fairy Chasm’, right up to the ‘Conclusion’ numbered XXXIII.  In short, no-one can accuse Wordsworth of short-changing the River Duddon.

Stepping Stone near Crosby Bridge, River Duddon - geograph.org.uk - 2452540. Photo by Tom Richardson, via Wikimedia Commons.

The River Duddon flows through the south-western part of the Lake District, passing the villages of Seathwaite and Duddon Bridge before widening out to an estuary, joining the sea between Haverigg and Barrow-in-Furness.

Map of the area.

STATELY STRIFE AND FAMILY LIFE: CASTLE HOWARD/BRIDESHEAD REVISITED

In September 2021 I blogged about Madresfield Court in Worcestershire, widely believed to be the inspiration for Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead of Brideshead Revisited, a tale about the ups and downs of the ongoing friendship between two young men who met at University, Sebastian Flyte and Charles Ryder, Sebastian being the son of Lord and Lady Marchmain of Brideshead.  I recently began viewing the TV series based on the book for the first time. Starring Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews as Charles and Sebastian respectively, the series was first shown in 1981.  Apart from the many human stars of the series, the locational star of the show is Castle Howard, a stately home in North Yorkshire, which serves as a suitably imposing setting for the Marchmain family home which forms the focal point of the series.

Castle Howard and garden. Photo by Pwojdacz, via Wikimedia Commons.

In fact, Castle Howard has been used twice as Brideshead, taking on the role again in 2008 for a film version of the story.  In the TV version the Long Gallery is used to depict the drawing room where Sebastian’s friend Charles is entertained by the Flyte family.  The Great Hall, Grand Staircase and other sumptuous interiors also make an appearance.  Sebastian and Charles are seen indulging in some wine tasting in the Temple of the Four Winds.  They are also seen keeping cool in the summer heat by the Atlas Fountain.

Castle Howard The Great Hall Entrance. Photo by Mdbeckwith, via Wikimedia Commons.

In 1940 Castle Howard suffered a fire which destroyed the Garden Hall and the High Saloon.  The Granada TV production company transformed the Garden Hall into the room where Charles painted his landscapes.  Meanwhile, the High Saloon was used as the dining room and also the bedroom where Lord Marchmain passed away.

Castle Howard lies a short distance to the west of Malton, a market town to the north-east of York, and just to the west of the Howardian Hills.  The house opens daily until early November, and the gardens are open daily with the exception of Christmas Day.  Guided tours are available on selected dates between March and October.  There are a number of refreshments and shopping outlets within the estate.  The extensive grounds include lakes, follies, woodlands, statues and temples.  Boat trips are available around the North Lake. Twice a week during July and August there is a coach service from the centre of York; ticket prices include admission to the house and gardens.

Map of the area.

MINCING WORDS: THE KING'S SPEECH

The King’s Speech is an unusual film about a late member of the Royal Family, in that it focuses on one particular aspect of the monarch’s persona.  King George VI, aka Bertie, (played by Colin Firth, who won the Oscar for Best Actor), father of the late Queen Elizabeth II, suffered from a stammer, which being the King was a problem with all the speeches he was expected to make.  An Australian speech therapist called Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) was engaged to help the King overcome this affliction, and this is the central theme of the film. Here are some of the locations used in three key scenes of the film.

The opening scene depicts the occasion of the closing ceremony of the Empire Exhibition at Wembley Stadium, which took place in 1925.  Bertie, still a Duke at this point, gives a speech which proves excruciating as he stammers his way through it, with his wife Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (aka The Queen Mother, played by Helena Bonham Carter) looking on in distress for her husband.  I came across a lost recording of the actual 1925 speech, which, though not great, did not sound nearly as bad as Colin Firth’s version.  Anyhow, as to the location of the scene, it was filmed at Elland Road Stadium in Leeds, home of Leeds United football team, with some shots filmed at the Odsal Stadium, home of the Bradford Bulls rugby team.  The people of Leeds got an early look at the film when it featured in the 2010 Leeds International Film Festival.

Elland Road 2023 cropped. Photo by Arne Müseler, via Wikimedia Commons.

 

Following the death of his father, Bertie has to endure the occasion of his Coronation, which in real life took place in Westminster Abbey, but for the purposes of the film the Coronation scenes and the scenes of the preparation for the occasion were shot at Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire.  The cathedral has been used in a number of top films, including Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The Other Boleyn Girl and Macbeth, as well as the Netflix series The Crown.    

Ely Cathedral

 

With Bertie installed as King, war breaks out against Germany, and Bertie is faced with having to make a broadcast to the nation, and Lionel Logue is summoned to Buckingham Palace to prepare him for the broadcast.  The interior of Buckingham Palace was filmed at Lancaster House, a government-owned building in London, which was rented at a cost of £20,000 a day for the filming.

Lancaster House from St James's Park London. Photo by Ricardalovesmonuments, via Wikimedia Commons.

Elland Road Stadium lies to the south-west of Leeds, near the M621.  The venue offers behind-the-scenes tours and the opportunity to purchase club merchandise.  Odsal Stadium is to the south of Bradford, near the A6036.  As well as rugby matches, the stadium hosts live music events.  Ely is one of the country’s smallest cathedral cities, located in the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire, with a picturesque riverside on the banks of the River Great Ouse.  The cathedral dates back to the 11^th century.  Lancaster House is run by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.  It was formerly known as York House, having been commissioned by the Duke of York in 1825.  Its sumptuous interior includes a Long Gallery, State Drawing Room and the Green Room.

 

 

LITERARY PUBS: THE BLACK LION HOTEL, NEW QUAY, CEREDIGION

 New Quay, a charming seaside village on Cardigan Bay, is famous for its dolphins, which can often be seen without even getting in a boat.  Another claim to fame is the fact that the notorious Welsh poet Dylan Thomas and his wife Caitlin spent a short time living there from 1944-1945 in a bungalow called Majoda, and that he based some of the characters in Under Milk Wood on people from New Quay.  While he no doubt visited most if not all the hostelries in the area, the Black Lion Hotel was a favourite of his.  The hotel featured in ‘Quite Early One Morning’, in which it was described as a pink-washed pub “waiting for Saturday night as an over-jolly girl waits for sailors”. 

The incident which led up to Dylan and his wife Caitlin moving out of New Quay started in the Black Lion.  William Killick, the husband of Dylan and Caitlin's neighbour and friend Vera, and a Captain fresh from a mission behind enemy lines in Greece, had a violent encounter with Dylan Thomas in the Black Lion and later attacked Majoda.  Dylan and Caitlin, no doubt unnerved by the incident, moved out of New Quay shortly afterwards.

The Black Lion still operates as a hotel, and serves decent meals to both residents and non-residents.  It is blessed with a large garden with lovely views over the bay.  Inside there is an array of photos and Dylan Thomas memorabilia.  Visitors to New Quay can follow a  Dylan Thomas Trail which includes both the Black Lion and Majoda.  In 2008 a film was released called The Edge of Love about Dylan and Caitlin and the Killicks starring Matthew Rhys, Cillian Murphy, Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller.  Many of the scenes from the film were shot in New Quay.

The Black Lion - geograph.org.uk - 3521553. Photo by Chris Whitehouse, via Wikimedia Commons.

 Map of the area.

A POETIC CORNER OF COUNTY LONDONDERRY: SEAMUS HEANEY/LOUGH BEG

 The Nobel Prize winning poet Seamus Heaney, who died in 2013, was born near the village of Bellaghy in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, and he is also buried there at St Mary’s Church to the north of the village.  The surrounding countryside provided much inspiration for Heaney’s work, and there is now a museum, the Seamus Heaney HomePlace, dedicated to his life and work.

To the east-north-east of the village is a body of water called Lough Beg, north of the much bigger Lough Neagh.  Heaney’s extended family was touched by The Troubles in 1975 when his second cousin was shot dead, and it was after this tragic event that he wrote an elegy called The Strand at Lough Beg.  The poem’s references to his cousin’s violent death sit in stark contrast to the lyrical descriptions of the location: “Church Island’s spire, its soft treeline of yew”...the cattle “Up to their bellies in an early mist”...the “squeaking sedge”...”Lough Beg half shines under the haze”.

Lough Beg (Londonderry side) - geograph-2684320. Photo by Kenneth Allen, via Wikimedia Commons.

Lough Beg is a small freshwater lake which lies on the border between County Londonderry and County Antrim.  Church Island is a small island in the lake, its medieval church built on the site of an earlier monastic settlement.  The spire of the church provides a picturesque landmark.  The island lies within a protected nature reserve, so the best way to view it is via a specially constructed viewpoint at Longpoint Wood.

Church Island, Lough Beg - geograph-2684322. Photo by Kenneth Allen, via Wikimedia Commons.

Map of the area.

ON THE SCENT IN KENT: WHITSTABLE PEARL

Whitstable Pearl, currently showing on UKTV Play, is a light-hearted crime series with a bit of romance thrown in, starring Kerry Godliman as Pearl Nolan, owner of the Whitstable Pearl restaurant, and Howard Charles as DCI Mike McGuire, temporarily relocated to the town from London.  The series makes the most of the location of the title, with many of the town’s sights and landmarks putting in an appearance. 

In the opening episode, in which a body is found in an adrift boat, a strange, otherworldly sight comes into view on the horizon.  These are the Maunsell Forts, built during the Second World War for defence purposes.  Another classic Whitstable landmark seen in the episode as well as subsequent episodes is the Old Neptune, or Neppy, as it is fondly referred to by locals, a white clapboard pub perched on the edge of Whitstable’s shingle beach.

 

Maunsell Army Fort. Photo by Hywel Williams, via Wikimedia Commons.

Whitstable’s harbour, with its distinctive black clapboard sheds and huts and other assorted buildings, some of which form the harbour market, makes a regular appearance in the series, as do the beach huts stretching along the slopes towards Tankerton.  We also get glimpses of the row of beachfront houses backing onto Whitstable’s shingle beach, and of its shopping streets with an assortment of independent shops and galleries.

Harbourside market.

Whitstable is a quirky seaside town with bags of character, best known for its oysters, which are celebrated every year in the form of the Oyster Festival.  The Old Neptune is an unmistakable landmark on the town’s beach, and is probably the best place in town for sitting and admiring the sunsets, which can be seen clearly from here due to the town's west-facing position on the north coast of Kent.  The town’s back streets are full of the handsome clapboard buildings seen in many of the scenes in Whitstable Pearl.  For those who are curious about the Maunsell Forts, there are boat trips which take visitors out to these unique landmarks.

Map of the area.

OIL MAN VERSUS BEACH MAN: LOCAL HERO: PENNAN, ABERDEENSHIRE

If you are looking for a feel-good film in these depressing times, I can recommend Local Hero, made in 1983 and directed by Bill Forsyth.  In the film a rich American oil magnate (played by Burt Lancaster) has his eye on a beautiful stretch of Scottish coastline which has potential as the site for an oil refinery, so he sends a company rep over to check it out.  The locals are keen, seeing the opportunity to make a lot of money, but an eccentric old man living on the beach is refusing to budge.  As well as being a heart-warming story with plenty of gentle humour, the scenery is stunning, helped along by a score written by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits.

The village targeted by the oil company in the film is called Ferness, but in real life it is the village of Pennan, Aberdeenshire.  Nestling at the foot of cliffs, and consisting of a row of squat whitewashed buildings, the village looks vulnerable to the often angry seas off this coast.  Much of the action centres around the local pub, where the oil company’s rep is staying.  Although Pennan has a pub, this was not used in the film; an ordinary house was used for the exterior scenes instead.

Pennan - geograph.org.uk - 684955. Photo by John Allan, via Wikimedia Commons.

The film was made in the days before mobile phones rendered the old red British telephone boxes obsolete, and there are some comical scenes in which the company rep frantically tries to gather together enough coins to go out to the telephone box to call his boss back home.  The production team used a mockup for the film instead of the existing village phone box, but the original one is still there, and over the years has had many fans of the film turning up to have their picture taken next to it.

Phone Booth Pennan. Photo by Blik, via Wikimedia Commons.

The most striking location used in the film is the beautiful beach with a church which featured in an amusing scene in which the locals gather in the church to hold a meeting, while the oil men stand on the beach oblivious to the line of people filing into the church.  Anyone visiting Pennan on a Local Hero pilgrimage will be disappointed if they are hoping to see the beach, as the real one, Camusdarach Beach, is on the other side of Scotland between Morar and Arisaig on the west coast of the Highland region. The exterior of the church was a mockup covering a house, but the church was based on Our Lady of the Braes near Lochailort a few miles east of Arisaig, which was used for the interior scenes.  A few years ago it was reported that the church was to be converted into a family home.

Camusdarach Beach - geograph.org.uk - 60994. Photo by Lynne Kirton, via Wikimedia Commons.

Pennan lies on the north-facing part of the Aberdeenshire coast, around 10 miles west of Fraserburgh.  Arisaig and Lochailort both lie very close to the route of the Jacobite, or “Harry Potter train”, so film buffs can kill two birds with one stone by visiting the area.  The famous beach is near the Mallaig end of the route, which runs between there and Fort William.

Map of Pennan. 

Map of  Camusdarach Beach.

LITERARY PUBS: THE LEATHER BOTTLE, COBHAM, KENT

 Fans of Charles Dickens will be aware that there are a number of pubs around London which were frequented by the famous writer.  However, Dickens did not confine his imbibing to our capital city.  He got about the country a fair bit, and no doubt found suitable watering holes wherever he went.

One particular part of the country with strong Dickens associations is the county of Kent, since he spent part of his life living there, first as a child, then later, following his separation from his wife Catherine, buying a house in Higham, between Rochester and Gravesend.  Near Gravesend is the village of Cobham, with the picturesque Leather Bottle inn, dating from around 1629.  Dickens used to enjoy rambles in the Kentish countryside, and he often stopped by here for liquid refreshment.

The 'Leather Bottle', Cobham - geograph.org.uk - 2209048. Photo by Roger Smith, via Wikimedia Commons.

Not only was the pub visited by Dickens himself, but it featured in one of his most famous works, The Pickwick Papers.  There is a scene in which Pickwick enters the pub with his companions Winkle and Snodgrass, to find another character Tracy Tupman, recently dumped by Rachel Wardle, sitting there with a magnificent feast before him.

In 2012, the BBC website carried a story about a single hair from Dickens’ head which had taken pride of place in the pub.  The hair was raffled to raise money for the restoration of the ‘chalet’ in Rochester where Dickens wrote many of his works.

Map of the area.

A BONNIE BIRTHPLACE FOR A POET: ALLOWAY, SOUTH AYRSHIRE

 

One of the most famous poems by the Scottish poet Robert Burns is Tam O’ Shanter, written in 1791.  The poem was written by Burns while he was living in Dumfries and it features Ayr and the village of Alloway on the town’s southern outskirts, an area familiar to the poet since Alloway was where he was born.

Tam O’Shanter charts the progress of the Tam of the title as he makes his way home from a visit to the market which extends to a protracted stay in the pub.  The action takes place in Ayr and Alloway, Ayr being described as “Auld Ayr, wham ne’er a town surpasses//For honest men and bonie lasses”.  Incidentally, the nickname given to the Ayr United football team is “The Honest Men”. 

As for Alloway, it is the Auld Kirk (old church) that plays a central role in the poem, described as “Alloway’s ault haunted kirk...whare ghaists and houlets nightly cry”.  Riding past the church, Tam takes a look through the window and sees witches and warlocks dancing a ceilikh, with the Devil playing the bagpipes.

Auld Kirk Alloway - geograph.org.uk - 1213335. Photo by Mary and Angus Hogg, via Wikimedia Commons.

 

Alloway makes the most of its Burns connection, with BurnsCottage, a museum with self-guided tours, and with displays which include the bed in which Burns was born.  Admission also allows entrance to the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, displaying original manuscripts and offering audio of songs and poems.  The Poet’s Path has a number of sculptures, and there is a Burns Monument and Gardens.

Burns Cottage - Alloway. Photo by DeFacto, via Wikimedia Commons.

 

The remains of the Alloway Auld Kirk lie near the River Doon at the south-western end of the village.  Burns’ father and sister are buried in the graveyard.  The church was already a ruin by the time Burns was born, which must have given it a spooky appearance.  Small wonder, then, that Burns made it the scene of supernatural shenanigans.

Map of the area.

HERO OF ERYRI: MR BATES VERSUS THE POST OFFICE

 

I am not an emotional person, and I do not tear up easily.  This is especially true when watching TV dramas and films (one notable exception being Titanic).  However, the ITV drama Mr Bates Versus the Post Office had me blubbing like a baby, partly out of rage at the sight of ordinary, decent, blameless people being wrongly convicted, bankrupted and in some cases driven to suicide following what was described as the biggest miscarriage of justice in British legal history, and partly out of joy at the end, when the Court of Appeal overturned the convictions of some of the subpostmasters (those still alive to see justice) and the ensuing scenes of jubilation outside the Court, all as the result of the tireless efforts of Alan Bates to get justice not just for himself, but for all his fellow subpostmasters..

The horror brought on by this shocking story is offset by the beauty of some of the locations used in the series, particularly the scenes filmed around North Wales.  The seaside resort of Llandudno, where the real life Alan Bates was a subpostmaster, puts in an appearance at the start.  The shop containing the post office was in the Craig-y-Don part of town, and St David’s Hospice on Queens Road was used as the location for it. 

 

Llandudno, looking towards the Great Orme.

After the Post Office terminates Bates’ contract when he is wrongly accused of accounting errors, he and his partner Suzanne move to a house in an idyllic location in Snowdonia.  The real life house which serves as their home is in the Nant Ffrancon valley in Eryri National Park. 

There is a pub in a beautiful riverside location which features in several of the scenes.  This is the Saracen’s Head in the Snowdonia village of Beddgelert, reachable both by road and via the Welsh Highland Railway, which runs between Caernarfon and Porthmadog.

Bridge at Beddgelert, Gwynedd - geograph.org.uk - 2630855. Photo by Peter Trimming, via Wikimedia Commons.

Llandudno is a typical seaside resort with a long promenade and a pier, but what sets it apart from other resorts is its magnificent setting, dominated by the Great Orme, which can be ascended on foot, via the Great Orme Tramway or via cable car.  The mountainous area surrounding it is a National Park, formerly known as Snowdonia, but now with its Welsh name Eryri.  Beddgelert is in the heart of the National Park and is very popular with walkers and other outdoor enthusiasts. 

Map of Gwynedd.

THE EXQUISITE WORLD OF ELIZABETH BENNET: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE 2005

Back in 2013, I did a piece about Lyme Park in Cheshire, which was where the famous ‘lake scene’ was filmed for the 1995 TV production of Pride and Prejudice, with Colin Firth as Mr Darcy emerging from the lake with diaphanous wet-through clothing.  This Christmas TV viewers have had the opportunity to see the 2005 film of this classic tale by Jane Austen, starring Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet and Matthew Macfadyen as Mr Darcy.

The action kicks off with Elizabeth strolling towards the Bennet family home, Longbourn.  This scene was filmed at Groombridge Place, a moated manor house near Tunbridge Wells, Kent.  Inside the home, the family are discussing the new occupant of nearby Netherfield Park, Mr Bingley.  Later on the Bennets pay a visit to Netherfield, and as they depart we catch sight of its imposing exterior.  The real-life property standing in for Netherfield is Basildon Park, Berkshire. 

Basildon Park (4739480359). Photo by Jim Bowen, via Wikimedia Commons.

There are a number of scenes involving the local village of Meryton, including the one in which soldiers arriving in the area go marching down the street, to the delight of the  young women of the village.  These scenes were filmed in the picturesque market town of Stamford, Lincolnshire.  During the filming horses used as part of the marching scene were seen outside the Arts Centre, while the churchyard in the square was filled with sheep. .Near Stamford is another imposing property, Burghley House, which is used in the film for Rosings Park, home of the de Bourgh family.  Anne de Bourgh is expected to marry Darcy.

The clergyman Mr. Collins, a distant cousin of Mr. Bennett who has designs on Elizabeth, lives in a vicarage which in real life is in the village of Weekley in Northamptonshire.  Haddon Hall near Bakewell in Derbyshire also puts in an appearance, with the banqueting hall acting as the interior of the Inn at Lambton. 

Naturally, the most imposing property of all in the story is Pemberley, the home of Mr Darcy.  The Chatsworth estate in Derbyshire is used for Pemberley in the 2005 film.  This is not the first time Chatsworth has played the role of Pemberley.  The TV drama Death Comes To Pemberley, aired in ...., also made use of Chatsworth.  Meanwhile, Pemberley’s drawing room was filmed at Wilton House near Salisbury.

Chatsworth House, Derbyshire - geograph.org.uk - 2481560. Photo by Christine Matthews, via Wikimedia Commons.

Finally, there are a couple of outside scenes of note.  The scene which has Elizabeth standing on a precipice was filmed at Stanage Edge in Derbyshire.  Meanwhile, way down to the south, the stunning gardens of Stourhead in Wiltshire feature in the scene in which, in pouring rain, Mr Darcy first proposes to Elizabeth and is sharply rebuffed.  This scene takes place at a folly in the grounds known as the Temple of Apollo.

Stourhead Gardens - geograph.org.uk - 32663. Photo by Nigel Freeman, via Wikimedia Commons.

Groombridge Place is currently closed for renovation so cannot be visited by the public.  Basildon Park, an 18th century estate near the River Thames between Reading and Goring, is run by the National Trust and is open to visitors year round.  Burghley House is currently closed for the winter, but is due to reopen in March 2024.  Haddon Hall is open daily during the main season, and on selected dates in November and December.  Chatsworth House and its park are open year round, and is especially appealilng in the run up to Christmas.  

Stanage Edge lies in the Peak District, a couple of miles north of Hathersage, and is a gritstone escarpment popular with climbers.  The Temple of Apollo in Stourhead Gardens is a fine example of classical buildings known as 'follies' which were erected in the estates of the landed gentry of times gone by.  The gardens are run by the National Trust and are open year round.