Pride & Prejudice (1995) Filming Locations

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. That's the start of this fabulous story Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Now what I thought I would do in this short video, I say short I don't know how long it'll be, is take in the filming locations for the 1995 production which was created by the BBC. I'm a big fan of the programme and I watch it frequently. Jennifer Ely plays Elizabeth Bennett so well and of course Colin Firth plays Darcy. We've got Luckington Manor just to my right and that played the part of Longbourn and St Mary's Church here behind me and I've just spoken to the Virgess she said go in you can go and visit all around the house is actually private so I can't go in there just drop my specs. The 1995 production although I've just read to you the opening line you know it is a universally acknowledged. Andrew Davies opens the show showing Bingley and Darcy riding across the countryside on horseback with Elizabeth watching I wanted to emphasise the men in this story especially Darcy himself and didn't make it all a girly thing so I started off with these men on great big horses kicking up the dirt and galloping into this area and creating a bit of a stir. Here we see the opening scene with the My dear Mr Bennett wonderful news Netherfield Park is let at last. Is it? Yes it is for I have just had it from Mrs Long. They walk up here and around the corner into Longbourn. For a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. Yes he must indeed and who better than one of our pride girls. I don't like filming people's houses I'll give you another shot from the other side of the church but the Virgin has said we can go into the church and that is exciting because we get to see the church was used for the double wedding event as well. So many scenes filmed Longbourn that is Longbourn with a British short British sort of wilderness in the background. They've got a nice plaque telling us some of the history of the church the tombs MI6 chief who's buried here but also this look Pride and Prejudice was filmed here. They don't mention Jennifer Ely who doesn't love an obstinate headstrong girl. I know I would like to find one. Anyway let's go in here it's tell you what it's a lot smaller in real life. So we would have had Jane and Bingley stood here and Elizabeth and Darcy stood there you know you're in the right place because of the pillars and the light. Dearly beloved we are gathered here in the sight of God and in the face of this congregation to join together this man and this woman and this man and this woman in holy matrimony. Plaque Jane Austen is Pride and Prejudice. Take a picture of that you've got some of the background scenes and the characters with their day coats look waiting for the action to be called. St Mary's Church, Luckington acting as the church at Longbourn how wonderful and there's Longbourn in the background and so the next location is Merritton which was filmed in Laycock. Everybody films in Laycock don't they? I might have to put my hat on I'm getting windswept and interesting this is Merritton or what is also known as Laycock National Trust Village. Many many period dramas are filmed here but this is the Red Lion and outside the Red Lion you get the night scene with the horse drawn cart comes along and Darcy and Bingley attend their first what would it be dance. We then get some daytime scenes where Mr Collins and the girls are walking into Merritton and you see them walk past this corner here and as they walk around the corner Lydia and Kitty spy some fine bonnets in the shop window here. Of course it was all dressed for the film so all of this would have been grass and dirt tracks for the horses. Anyway they're looking in the window here and across the road just at that white Tudor building I see Wickham and Denny standing. It looks so much smaller now but you get the horses coming along with Darcy and Bingley wondering why well in fact Elizabeth wondering why Wickham and Darcy are having those cold steely stare looks at each other. You are very kind sir I'm quite recovered as you see. Yes I'm very glad to know you sir. I shall be very happy to. Of course Darcy doesn't want anything to do with society here does he it's somewhat savage. Wow the Red Lion now just down here is Laycock Abbey which has been used for things like Harry Potter you know with the courtyard scenes but there's also a scene where Darcy interrupts Wickham doesn't he during the writing of the letter to Elizabeth he's kind of recounting the story and we get that one scene so let's go in here and I'll see if I can find the exact location for the scene where Darcy is attending university and walking through the and hoped he would make the church his profession but by then George Wickham's habits were as disloyal as his manners were engaging. Guess who's behind this door will it be Wickham and a girl caught red-handed such was the character of Wickham. To apologize for the state of my hair because I'm earmarked for some filming as a supporting artist and production has said do not cut your hair and I don't actually know how many videos it's going to take and how much how long it's going to take me to do this complete video with all the different locations in terms of time and it may well be that I'll have a haircut in the middle of it all. Okay so that was um Longbourn, St Mary's Church, Laycock Village and Laycock Abbey. Wonderful what's next I wonder let's find out. Behind me is Western Supermare which doubles as Ramsgate. This little area here would have been dressed it had the the nets hanging here and Darcy looks over and he sees down there Georgiana and Wickham. I can't actually get down to the location this is so inconvenient. This is the right location because I've got the hillside at the back and there's the single standing rock out to sea. Anyway Western Supermare acting as Ramsgate. There also went Mr Wickham undoubtedly by design. Right let's go somewhere else. So I'm now at St Paul's Church in Deptford and actually Peckham Street is just behind me and you know Peckham High Street from Fools and Horses right? Anyway in the book chapter 51 it starts by saying their sister's wedding day arrived. Jane and Elizabeth felt for her probably more than she felt for herself and that's it. Then she goes on to talk about them arriving at the Bennetts house but Andrew Davies gives us a different perspective because he allows us to see the angle from the men's point of view. Wickham, Darcy, the gardeners and expands on that so the scene kind of opens and look at that you've got flats and everything. Cinematography is so cool so they would have dressed the house to look like 1815 the Georgian period and the carriage pulls up just here. Mr Gardner helps Lydia off and they walk right past here this this very spot. Where is everybody she asks and then they walk into the church which is actually closed so I can't go in and show you but they actually filmed the internal shots here as well. Dearly beloved we are gathered here in the sign of God. Mr Wickham is to resign from the militia and go into a northern regiment. Happily there are still some among his former friends who are willing to assist him in purchasing a commission. Amazing St Paul's Church Deptford. Lydia and Wickham were married here and it happened I got the old barnet cut so the filming production had said do not cut your hair where you want to fashion it and can you believe what happened I went for the fitting and it was a dinner jacket bow tie all the lot and having had the um dinner jacket fitted um the costume lady said go around to hairdressing let them sort your hair out and I stood there three ladies looking at me we like your hair as it is I'm like no no no I want you to cut my hair I've been growing it long and I hate having my hair long because I don't have a lot of it so it's all wispy anyway they left the hair production has finished did it myself so it's a real mess but production and this is you know the irony of doing Pride and Prejudice with the 1995 it was Empire of Light new Sam Mendes movie that's coming out I think I can share it because it was in the local press filmed at Margate in the Dreamland Theatre and the scene was the premiere of Chariots of Fire from 1981 and Colin Firth plays the theatre manager so we get to sit in the all the auditorium and he's giving us his speech over and over and over while they do the different camera angles and um and Olivia Colman as well the two of them and there were two scenes and I was like if we can that tree there see that tree there that's how close I was to Colin Firth but we were professional you know as supporting artists are you don't go charging up to them it's like oh I saw you in Pride and Prejudice I thought you were brilliant just don't do that anyway so we carry on with the video and I'm now at Lime Park Lizzie and the gardeners have come up to Derbyshire for a tour and they're sitting in the carriage they're going through the grounds of Pemberley and Lizzie says do you think we'll see the house before it gets dark and Mrs Gardner says be patient and then we get this scene and Lizzie says is it it's probably the most happily situated she's ever seen something like that having stopped to admire the house just at the other side of the lake the gardeners and Lizzie continue around to the front of the house in the carriage and you see the carriage winding its way through the archway into the courtyard definitely worth a superimpose Darcy's Pond as the National Trust like to call it now as Lizzie and the gardeners are taking in Lime Park just across the way there Darcy arrives a day early and contemplates having a wee swim purchases himself round about here thinking shall I go in the water shall I not go in the water sits down starts disrobing I won't give you the pleasure and you have to think what is going through his mind at this moment in time is he contemplating the unrequited love that he has for Lizzie you must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you is he contemplating the tedium of several evenings with the Bingley sisters very true damn tedious waste of an evening or is he contemplating the fact that he's just had you know a hard ride from wherever he's come and the horse is perched up between the two trees there with Darcy without Darcy with Darcy without Darcy he then you know in his bloomers and his shirt dives right in actually looks you know quite deep but I wouldn't like to chance it myself and of course he didn't actually dive in stunt double dove in the water here and Darcy or Colin Firth jumped in a swimming pool amazing Darcy's pond so now but now having had the swim he walks back across the meadow can't see the house but the house is just somewhere there and encounters Elizabeth which we shall see in a moment so Darcy's now out of the water he's coming back to the to the house Elizabeth and the gardeners are standing around here they're coming down from the orange tree Lizzie's walking down the little hill here and Darcy appears out of the mist there they have the conversation and they walk off towards the house there and Darcy's obviously gone off to get changed now formally attired and still buckling himself up Darcy makes his way down and he's got to get out there in fact he walks that way doesn't he and he disappears out through the entrance which is actually that entrance and they have their conversation where he's introduced to Lizzie's friends it's interesting the kind of the dialogue you can see she's trying to catch him out you know this is my aunt Mrs Gardner where Jane stayed recently in Cheapside you know to get reaction from him but it doesn't happen please meet you it's all turning here um and it's the old um do you care for fishing indeed I do sir follow us down to the lake my man will show you they walk out here Darcy and Mr Gardner discussing the whole there's going to be trout in the in the in the pond and Mrs Gardner and Elizabeth kind of expressing their their astonishment of the change in the nature of Mr Darcy and Elizabeth can't think why it's happened I love Mrs Gardner's very kind of discreet can you not but they then take a walk up through the path up there so Darcy and Elizabeth walking together the gardeners coming up behind and they have the conversation that Darcy would like to introduce Elizabeth to his sister Georgiana and she seems quite excited that yeah she would like to do that and they walk up here and I think this location in the storyline is where her opinion changes of him suddenly she's like seeing a different side to Darcy it could be that he's on his own territory it's like I'm home I can be who I am without any airs but they continue up and the telling thing is as they're departing you know Elizabeth and the gardeners are departing in the carriage so let's track up there and just let me expand on that a little they finally come up this staircase with the orangery behind them they've walked up that footpath which leads up that direction but filming what it is so there are two telling things that happen here that I observe they're getting into the carriage and you see Darcy take Elizabeth's hand and help her up and it's it's ever so slight but there's a kind of thumb rubbing am I seeing things I don't know but then the carriage departs and Darcy's kind of stood here watching and however I can't remember and he's almost willing her to look back because you can see the carriage going off and it's what's going through his mind if she looks back she's interested if she looks back she's interested or to put it in the modern vernacular she fancies the pants off me look back look back look back and of course she looks over her right shoulder and looks back at him yeah get in so much she fancies me his chances are getting better okay that's it that's Lime Park see if I can take you to another location I might see a few little things on the way out but otherwise oh no tell you what let's go down and look at the gift shop I've been to Derbyshire on many many occasions and I've always wanted to find this location this is Ramshaw Rocks and Lizzie takes a holiday with her aunt and uncle and they show her kind of the countryside and we see Lizzie climbing up here and I can almost hear Mrs Gardner from down there let me get out of your way so you can see it you see them clambering over the rocks at this section here and she goes how could I face your father now you think she's standing on that rock but she's actually standing on this it's the way that cinematography works because she wouldn't have been able to walk up on the edge there because if she was standing on that one it's just too too steep and narrow but I'm gonna walk up it be careful Trudeau how could I face your father if you take a fall oh this is amazing would you like to see it look at these rocks astonishing so Elizabeth Bennett was looking out on the A53 as it drives down towards Buxton from Leek and Mr and Mrs Gardner were coming across the rocks there but you don't see the road so that's Ramshaw Rocks and it's not far from Longnore so let's go to Longnore I'll tell you all about it isn't this splendorous tiny little village of Longnore in Derbyshire which doubles as Lampton I would imagine if you can imagine a green by a smithy there's probably a fine tree here where Darcy does horse chestnut collecting but just up here is Chapel Street which is the very narrow lane and actually looks quite Dickensian in its outlook which is where the inn at Lampton was and this is quite narrow and you have to imagine Elizabeth walking down here and there's a man on horse and two scenes were filmed here you've got Elizabeth walking down and the maid comes out of the window just by the sign for the red bull if you please miss two gentlemen and a lady are here waiting upon you in the parlour tell them I shall be with them directly one of them is Mr Darcy wow and you get the scene where the gardeners they've they've heard all the news of Lydia and they're loading up the the modest equipage with all their luggage and they're um they're off where are you staying oh the inn at Lampton there we go Chapel Street Longmore um what three words location on the screen for you suppose if I come in the height of um summer I would have throngs of people coming up through here it's now a Tuesday evening seven o'clock there's nobody here these old Victorian cobblestones how wonderful I'm really glad also that they um decided to film the Derbyshire scenes actually in Derbyshire and of course they'd have had to wouldn't they because people will watch it and say well hang on you're filming that in Somerset that's not some Derbyshire this is National Trust property Belton House isn't that glorious and the way the sun's kind of basking down on it now Belton's house played the part of Rosings Park so the home of Lady Catherine de Bourgh what I like about this and the 1995 adaptation is that the locations they selected would have represented the buildings in their day I think that we're talking Georgian period so what the 1815 1820 1830s whatever that period that Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice to represent whereas you look at the um Keira Knightley version the place is already dilapidated it's already old and to me that doesn't reflect how it would have looked in 1815 so I think they got the location wrong there anyway Rosings Park Lady Catherine de Bourgh the very favourite place of Mr Collins where he receives the patronage and equally the condescension of Lady Catherine de Bourgh so there are several locations um for the filming here notably when Lizzie comes to visit Charlotte Lucas who is now Charlotte Collins Mrs Collins and then obviously has dinner or dines here at Rosings Park and we get the scene where they're walking and arriving so we're going to have a look at that Darcy then comes along here when he has to compose his letter and we see him walking towards the house so we'll there's a couple over there whether the camera's picking it up we'll we'll have a look there and then we'll have a look at the room where he's kind of you know he's composed the letter and it's morning and he's looking out the window so let's go and have a look at those locations I think it's from this angle that we see Darcy walking towards the house having had um the altercation with with Lizzie you are the last man in the world whom I could ever marry do you think that any consideration would tempt me on that I may defend myself something like that the voiceover as he's walking towards the house so we then get the cut from that scene where he's walking and we see him walking up here you know cane hat straight into the house at this entrance are the deception of television let me show you because I'm not sure this is um an open door anymore looks like a window sash window maybe you could open the bottom but the window possibly this one and any one of these windows here we see him kind of looking out across the garden and there's the garden isn't that magnificent and that's the scene where we get um Lizzie and Mr Collins William Lucas and his youngest daughter and Mrs Collins of course so let's let's reenact that shall we and so we get the party walking up here Mr Collins is so excited to tell Lizzie that the the windows they're at 64 of them and cost in excess of 600 pounds which actually in today's money is over 50,000 pounds and um and then they walk through and obviously then they're in oh lady Catherine de Burgh may we have lunch with you we could probably play the piano in Mrs what's-her-name's room where no one will disturb her but yeah they walk up here they um enter in and have their first lunch or dinner of their first dinner date and have lots and lots subsequently Belton House National Trust property in Lincolnshire acting as Rosings Park rather splendid it's too sunny not to wear the sunnies anyway I'm at Old Ty Rectory and this was Mr Collins's house and you get the modest equipage coming up here and yeah that's his house I believe it's a bed and breakfast glorious and of course it's from here that Darcy comes to make his proposal to Lizzie and storms out yeah I think it's a um bed and breakfast now I'll put a little link somewhere just to show you kind of how much they charge so if you're actually here and you want to visit you could stay here and go around the rooms I do wonder if they actually have you know the likes of me Pride and Prejudice fans coming along to um to see all their places so Netherfield is let at last I've made it across the country but if I was to stand over there and take the shot in this general direction I'd get the shot of the walking party uh the shooting party coming back across the field towards the house and this is the view that they'd get now a lot has changed with 95 2022 27 years so obviously the bushes have grown up over time but doesn't that look majestic and you'd have the carriages coming in um you know when um Mrs Bennett and the two girls are coming to see Elizabeth and Jane who have been here for a day or two and also the the night of the ball if you may please you shall name the day um and you see all of the carriages coming in so Netherfield Hall is let at last again they've got to expect that people will come here won't they and look at their properties I do sometimes think it's a bit of an imposition you know trape oh it's gonna say traipsing it's trespassing on personal property unless you've an invite you shouldn't really be going in there should you okay I am going to wrap up this video surprise surprise I've been at it for months it seems and that's quite right I've started this back in when was it March February or March sometime like that but because the locations have been scattered around the country it's kind of difficult for me to just do it in one day so you I have actually washed the shirt and jumper it's like the guy um you know from Coast with the red jacket and the umbrella Nick Crane Nicholas Crane and he always wears the same outfit regardless of what episode it's in and I kind of thought I would do that and so the only difference has been the hair being cut so what have I missed Sudbury Hall I did go there that's in Derbyshire that was used for the internal shots of Pemberley and there's some lovely scenes if ever I got a chance to go there I might do another supplementary video but all the internal shots for Pemberley were filmed there there were two halls I can't remember their name I'm going to put them up here now this first one was used for the home in London where Jane visits Caroline Bingley and then the second one again with the name can't remember it's been a long day that was used for the internal shots of Netherfield so when they had the ball and all that kind of stuff that was shot at this place I've had a lot of fun doing this one because it's you know kind of I've had lots and lots of time to think and go through and just make sure that I've you know got all the locations right so with all that effort it's got to be worth a thumbs up hasn't it give the video a like and subscribe and I will see you in another video there's bound to be another video whether it's filming locations or something bye for now