May 24, 2008

• A Visit to Pemberley

  
  

  
  This is a postcard, not my shot. Boo.
  

  Okay, okay. It’s not really Pemberley. It’s Lyme Hall. But, it is where the outside shots of the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice were filmed. (The inside ones were filmed at Chatworth, which is not far away, but we did not have time to visit.)

  It was a beautiful Sunday, and Lyme Hall was full!  But, with such huge grounds and a big house to explore, we didn’t feel crowded at all.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  One of the first things we did was hike up to The Lantern Tower.  Tradition says that the top of the Lantern Tower used to be the roof over Minerva’s statue which is on top of the main house.  Basically, this tower just gives people something to look at.  The tour brochure says, “It became the focal point of a vista line, one of many radiating out from the Hall and the Park buildings.” 

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  To get there, we had to hike up land which was half moor, half woods

  

  And climb over the biggest style I’ve seen.
  

  
  

  

  Coming down was much easier as we went straight down the wooded part to the house.

  

  View of the house from in front of The Lantern Tower

  

  When you think of the A&E P&P, you probably think of the scene where Darcy jumps into the pond.  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpjETmJlQEc)  I’m not sure which pond it might have been, but here are two suspects.

  I’m partial to this one. It’s the one you see in the view from the Lantern Tower.
  

  
  

  
  

  This one is near the parking lot. But, there shouldn’t have been a parking lot in P&P, so it could be this one.
  

  
  

  
  

  I’m pretty sure it’s not the pond in front of the house, as seen in this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj9sJmdMpFI&feature=related   Here are two shots of that particular pond.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Yes, yes. Ponds are all well and good, but what about the HOUSE?   Here it is from the front

  
  

  
  

  And the back
  

  
  

      
  

  
  

   And here’s the entrance gate. 

  

  
  

  Now, to get to this gate, you turn off the main road and drive for maybe .75 miles through the property. I’m sure it would be neat to take the drive in a curricle, but we did it in a rental car.
  

  
  

  

  
  
  

   Once you go through the entrance gate…
  
  

  You are in a courtyard

  

  With a nifty stone floor

    

  Once you go inside the house, the first room you enter is the Entrance Hall. Although it’s not apparent, behind the large picture on the right of The Black Prince is a “squint.” It’s an opening from another room which lets you look down onto the room below. It would make a great balcony for home productions of Romeo and Juliet.

  

  And here is the room you would stand in. It’s called The Drawing Room, and it was opulent and wonderful. But, it wasn’t my favorite room in the house.

  

  My favorite room by far–I could have moved in–was the Library. It’s not so clear from this picture, but the light, white area was really a cozy alcove with window seats all around, perfect for curling up on either a sunny or rainy day with a book. To the left and behind the photographer are built-in, floor-to-ceiling, wooden book shelves. 

  

  After we toured the house and had tea in the basement cafe (a delicious pureed veggie soup and a piece of carrot cake–YUM!), we did our outside trip. The gardens were in-between blooming flowers, but they were still gorgeous.

  

  Even Pemberley has dandelions. These were growing out of the vertical walls!

   

  Ahh…

                

  And that ends my weekend adventures…almost.  Next, I’ll tell you about the trip home or How Not to Read a Map.
  

  • 9:35 am
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