A week in Derbyshire
Are the shades of Pemberley to be thus polluted?
Outstretched hands in the middle of the prettyish sort of wilderness at Longbourn, Lady Catherine De Bourgh tries to discourage Lizzie from marrying Mr. Darcy.
I grew up watching the 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice and many other period dramas. But there was something about Pride and Prejudice that hooked me and I always return to it. I love this scene in particular - I admired the “obstinate, headstrong girl” that Lady Catherine finds herself in a verbal battle with. Especially as a young girl who wasn’t these things, the quiet girl who struggled with confrontation, watching Elizabeth Bennet hold her own against the infamous Lady Catherine was awe-inspiring.
It makes sense that visiting Pemberley has always been on my bucket list and this year, my Mum and I holidayed in Derbyshire and visited both Pemberleys.
Chatsworth House
The Pemberley in the 2005 movie version of Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. Although the film isn’t my favourite, the cinematography is beautiful and the scene with the Veiled Vestral statue made Chatsworth a must-see location for me.
We paid for the buggy tour of the gardens and it was so worth it. The grounds of Chatsworth are stunning and have been used in multiple movies and television programmes. We also learned the history of certain aspects of the grounds and with 105 acres of garden to explore, it was a way of seeing as much as possible in a short amount of time.
Lyme Park
A little further afield from where we were staying at Matlock is Lyme Park, the location for the BBC Pemberley. Although beautiful to look around and I adored the orangery, I think I enjoyed wandering the halls of Chatsworth more.
I sent a photograph of Lyme Park to our family group chat, prompting everyone to start quoting Pride and Prejudice - Something about my extended family is that one quote initiates the vast majority of the family to begin quoting the television series.
Bakewell
We spent a day browsing boutiques and shopping for friends and family. Of course we chose Bakewell, we couldn’t miss the opportunity to sample the famous Bakewell pudding.
These were our three favourite things we did while in Derbyshire. I would love to go back and explore more, it’s such a beautiful part of our country.