If you’re a Jane Austen lover, you’re probably always looking forward to the next movie adaption of her beloved books. After all, there’s nothing quite like seeing the English Regency era and Austen’s worlds brought to life on the big screen.
Throughout the years, there have been many notable films based on the literary hero’s work, like the 2005 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice staring Matthew Macfadyen and Keira Knightley or the more recent Emma featuring Anya Taylor-Joy. With a new movie just released—a reimagined Persuasion starring Dakota Johnson, Cosmo Jarvis, and Henry Golding—we thought it appropriate to look through some of the actual houses that have appeared in film adaptations of Austen’s books.
Basildon Park
Basildon Park is best known for having represented Netherfield Park in the 2005 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice. It’s where the iconic dance scene between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy takes place. It was a built for a wealthy Englishman, Sir Francis Sykes, in 1771 in the Palladian architectural style.
Lyme Park House
Austen fans may recognize this lake at Lyme Park House, as it was here that Colin Firth famously shot the scene where Mr. Darcy takes a dip and emerges soaking wet in the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride & Prejudice. The stately mansion belonged to the Legh Family for centuries, beginning in 1388 until it was given to the National Trust in 1946.
Montacute House
Set in the English countryside of Somerset, Montacute House served as the backdrop for several scenes in Emma Thomson’s acclaimed 1995 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility.
Chatsworth House
When Elizabeth, her aunt, and uncle Gardiner consider spending some time as tourists in the Derbyshire area in Pride & Prejudice, the characters are specifically excited to visit Chatsworth House. Who would have thought that almost two hundred years later, that same mansion would go down in cinematic history as Mr. Darcy’s Pemberley in the Joe Wright–directed adaptation.
Home to many generations of Dukes of Devonshire, the house boasts a huge collection of marble statues. And if one day you’re fortunate enough to venture into this historic home, you’ll also find a marble bust of Macfadyen, who played Fitzwilliam Darcy.
Belton House
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Built by William Stanton between 1685 and 1688, Belton House helped depict the opulent estate of Lady Catherine de Bourgh in the 1995 miniseries adaptation of Pride & Prejudice. As Mr. Collins mentioned in the book, there is no better honor than an invitation to dine at that mansion. For once, we agree with the pompous Mr. Collins.
Wilton House
Located in Salisbury, England, and owned by the Earl and Countess of Pembroke, Wilton House has been in their family for 450 years. The stunning interiors have not only enticed series such as The Crown to film in the mansion (its halls serve to mimic those of Buckingham Palace), but also many Austen adaptations.
Some of the parlors and the library were used to portray the interior of Pemberley in Wright’s Pride & Prejudice, and one of rooms appears in the 1995 Sense and Sensibility scene where Marianne finally meets Willoughby at a London party. And as if that wasn’t enough, the house was also used for various scenes in the latest Emma adaptation.
