Pemberley is the fictional country estate owned by
Fitzwilliam Darcy
Fitzwilliam Darcy Esquire, generally referred to as Mr. Darcy, is one of the two central characters in Jane Austen's 1813 novel '' Pride and Prejudice''. He is an archetype of the aloof romantic hero, and a romantic interest of Elizabeth Benne ...
, the male protagonist in
Jane Austen
Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...
's 1813 novel ''
Pride and Prejudice
''Pride and Prejudice'' is an 1813 novel of manners by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreci ...
''. It is located near the fictional town of Lambton, and believed by some to be based on
Lyme Park, south of
Disley
Disley is a village and civil parish in Cheshire, England. It is located on the edge of the Peak District in the Goyt valley, south of Stockport and close to the county boundary with Derbyshire at New Mills. The population at the 2011 Census ...
in
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
.
In describing the estate, Austen uses uncharacteristically explicit symbolism to represent the geographical home of the man at the centre of the novel. On first visiting the estate,
Elizabeth Bennet is charmed by the beauty of the surrounding countryside, as indeed she is by Mr. Darcy himself. Elizabeth had already rejected Mr. Darcy's first proposal by the time she visits Pemberley—it is his letter, the praise of his housekeeper, and his own courteous behaviour at Pemberley that bring about a change in her opinion of Mr. Darcy.
In ''Pride and Prejudice''
They gradually ascended for half a mile, and then found themselves at the top of a considerable eminence, where the wood ceased, and the eye was instantly caught by Pemberley House, situated on the opposite side of a valley, into which the road with some abruptness wound. It was a large, handsome, stone building, standing well on rising ground, and backed by a ridge of high woody hills; and in front, a stream of some natural importance was swelled into greater, but without any artificial appearance. Its banks were neither formal, nor falsely adorned. Elizabeth was delighted. She had never seen a place where nature had done more, or where natural beauty had been so little counteracted by an awkward taste. They were all of them warm in their admiration; and at that moment she felt that to be mistress of Pemberley might be something!
– Jane Austen
Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...
(1813)
In other media
*
Dyrham Park stood in for Pemberley in the 1967 BBC adaptation starring Australian actor
Lewis Fiander
Lewis Ernest Fiander (12 January 1938 – 24 May 2016) was an Australian film, stage, and television actor.
Biography
Fiander was born in Melbourne to Mona Jane (née King) and Walter Lewis Fiander, and educated at Trinity Grammar School, Ke ...
as Mr. Darcy and
Celia Bannerman
Celia Bannerman (born 3 June 1944) is an English actress and director.
Career
Bannerman was born at Abingdon, Oxfordshire, and trained at the London Drama Centre. She started her professional career with Ralph Richardson as Dolly in Bernard S ...
as Elizabeth Bennet. The last scene of the series shows the married couple looking down at Pemberley.
*
Renishaw Hall
Renishaw Hall is a country house in Renishaw, Derbyshire, Renishaw in the parish of Eckington, Derbyshire, Eckington in Derbyshire, England. It is a Grade I listed building and has been the home of the Sitwell Baronets, Sitwell family for nearly ...
, Derbyshire, England, UK was the setting for Pemberley in the 1980 BBC adaptation of ''
Pride and Prejudice
''Pride and Prejudice'' is an 1813 novel of manners by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreci ...
'' starring
Elizabeth Garvie
Elizabeth Garvie (born 1957) is an English actress known for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1980 BBC dramatisation of ''Pride and Prejudice''. Her other screen roles include Nancy Rufford in ''The Good Soldier'' (1981), Lady Elizabeth Mont ...
and
David Rintoul, adapted from the novel by Fay Weldon.
*
Lyme Park, near Stockport, was the setting for Pemberley for the 1995 television series of ''
Pride and Prejudice
''Pride and Prejudice'' is an 1813 novel of manners by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreci ...
'' starring
Jennifer Ehle and
Colin Firth
Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is an English actor and producer. He was identified in the mid-1980s with the " Brit Pack" of rising young British actors, undertaking a challenging series of roles, including leading roles in '' A M ...
.
*
Chatsworth House
Chatsworth House is a stately home in the Derbyshire Dales, north-east of Bakewell and west of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, Chesterfield, England. The seat of the Duke of Devonshire, it has belonged to the House of Cavendish, Cavendish family sin ...
was used for the exterior scenes for
Joe Wright's
2005 film version of ''Pride and Prejudice'' starring
Keira Knightley and
Matthew Macfadyen
David Matthew Macfadyen (; born 17 October 1974) is an English actor. Known for his performances on stage and screen, he gained prominence for his role as Mr. Darcy in Joe Wright's ''Pride & Prejudice'' (2005). He currently stars as Tom Wambsgans ...
. However,
Wilton House was used for many of the interior scenes, such as those featuring Georgiana Darcy. The official Chatsworth House website believes that the author was thinking of
Chatsworth House
Chatsworth House is a stately home in the Derbyshire Dales, north-east of Bakewell and west of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, Chesterfield, England. The seat of the Duke of Devonshire, it has belonged to the House of Cavendish, Cavendish family sin ...
when describing Pemberley. Jane Austen explicitly mentions Chatsworth in the novel as one of the great houses Elizabeth and her aunt and uncle visited before Pemberley during their visit north. Chatsworth was again used for exterior, and some interior, scenes for the BBC adaptation of ''
Death Comes to Pemberley''.
*
Harewood House
Harewood House ( , ) is a country house in Harewood, West Yorkshire, England. Designed by architects John Carr and Robert Adam, it was built, between 1759 and 1771, for Edwin Lascelles, 1st Baron Harewood, a wealthy West Indian plantation a ...
, near Leeds in West Yorkshire, was the setting for Pemberley in the ITV fantasy series ''
Lost in Austen''. This series was not a direct adaptation of the novel, but the novel provided the majority of the plots, characters and inspiration. Some interior scenes in the BBC adaptation of ''
Death Comes to Pemberley'' were filmed at Harewood.
* Pemberley Press is the name of the publishing house that
Bridget Jones works at in the 2001 film
''Bridget Jones's Diary'', in homage to ''Pride and Prejudice''.
* In ''
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
''The Lizzie Bennet Diaries'' is an American web series adapted from Jane Austen's 1813 novel ''Pride and Prejudice.'' The story is conveyed in the form of vlogs. It was created by Hank Green and Bernie Su, produced by Jenni Powell and stars Ashl ...
'', a vlog-style modern adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, Pemberley Digital is the name of Darcy's company. Darcy says Pemberley is the name of the place that his father's family comes from in England.
* ''
Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley'' by
Lauren Gunderson and
Margot Melcon Margot (; ) is a feminine French language, French given name, a variant of Marguerite (given name), Marguerite. It is also occasionally a surname. Persons named Margot include the following:
People with the given name Margot
* Margot Asquith, Cou ...
, with characters from Pride and Prejudice, is set at Pemberley.
Image:Renishaw Hall view.jpg, Renishaw Hall
Renishaw Hall is a country house in Renishaw, Derbyshire, Renishaw in the parish of Eckington, Derbyshire, Eckington in Derbyshire, England. It is a Grade I listed building and has been the home of the Sitwell Baronets, Sitwell family for nearly ...
as Pemberley in the 1980 TV serial
Image:Lymehall07.JPG, Lyme Park as Pemberley in the 1995 TV serial
Image:The West Front.jpg, Chatsworth House
Chatsworth House is a stately home in the Derbyshire Dales, north-east of Bakewell and west of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, Chesterfield, England. The seat of the Duke of Devonshire, it has belonged to the House of Cavendish, Cavendish family sin ...
as Pemberley in the 2005 film
2005 in film is an overview of events, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies, festivals, a list of country-specific lists of films released, notable deaths and film debuts.
Evaluation of the year
Renowned American film critic a ...
Image:Harewood House, seen from the garden.JPG, Harewood House
Harewood House ( , ) is a country house in Harewood, West Yorkshire, England. Designed by architects John Carr and Robert Adam, it was built, between 1759 and 1771, for Edwin Lascelles, 1st Baron Harewood, a wealthy West Indian plantation a ...
as Pemberley in '' Lost in Austen''
References
{{Pride and Prejudice
Fictional houses
Pride and Prejudice
Fictional buildings and structures originating in literature