Day 12 -- Cardiff and the Peak District

Sunday, August 5th

Cardiff, Wales

We attended church at Llandaff Presbyterian Reformed Church () in Cardiff, Wales. The pastor, Peter Naylor, and his lovely family invited us over for lunch. We had a lovely time of fellowship with them. It is amazing how believers from opposite sides of the world can feel right at home with each other.


The Peak District

The rest of the afternoon we spent driving through the countryside, until we finally reached Derbyshire (in other words, the land of Darcy!).






The beautiful rolling hills and valleys of the Peak District are somewhat muted in color, but they posses a certain mesmerizing tranquility and beauty. While I am naturally drawn to the beautiful fields and forests of Southern England, there is a breathtaking beauty in the dramatic scenery of the north country.

Day 13 -- Lyme Park (Pemberley) and Haworth (The Brontes)

Monday, August 6th

Lyme Park

When we started talking about visitng England, I knew one place that would certainly make it on our itinerary: Lyme Park. Used as the exterior of Pemberly in the 1995 version of "Pride and Prejudice," Lyme Park is an iconic English country house (at least to us!). As hard as it is to choose a "favorite" place, Lyme Park certainly ranks as one of my best memories in England.

The lodge at the park gates:


Looking from the back of the house over the courtyard:


Indescribable:








Thinking about Mr. Darcy...



The inside of the house was warm and inviting, and the layout was interesting because of the courtyard in the middle. Due to a change of management, filmmakers could not use the interior as Pemberley, so all of the inside shots were filmed at Sudbury Hall (see August 11th). But the interior was truly beautiful. The library, in particular, was very nice, and had cozy nook in the corner with cushions and such that would be perfect for reading. Delightful!


Haworth

We drove north, avoiding the industrial city of Manchester by driving along the border of Yorkshire. It was early evening by the time we reached the village of Haworth, home of the Emily, Charlotte, and Anne Bronte and their family.




The museum was quite nice and had opened every room of the house to the public. As we wandered about, our entire family agreed that we would like to live there! It was spacious, bright, and cheery. Some of the exhibits included garments worn by Charlotte Bronte, letters, workboxes, and other personal effects.

Facing the house (but separated by a wall) is the church where the Brontes' father, Patrick Bronte, was the vicar.



This is the school where Charlotte taught for several years:


Part of the little village of Haworth is set on a steeply sloped hill, and the street is still made of cobblestones. It is quite charming and picturesque, whether you're looking up:

or down...



Many people think of the moors as desolate and ugly, and consider the Bronte sisters very unfortunate to have lived there -- but these people have not visited Haworth in the fading light of a chilly August evening.

Day 18 -- Hardwick Hall and Sudbury Hall (Pemberley interior)

Saturday, August 11th

Hardwick Hall

Saturday proved to be a "National Trust" day (and I cannot imagine a better type of day!). We started out with Hardwick Hall, built by the legendary Countess of Shrewsbury.



If you look carefully, you can see her initials, "E S," in the decorative scrollwork at the top. Bess of Hardwick was quite the social climber, and survived several husbands. This house, built in 1597, was her "grand achievement."

The ruins of the Old Hall, where Bess was born, can still be viewed in parts. Dad and I climbed the stairs all the way to the top, where we had these views:




Sudbury Hall

After leaving Hardwick Hall, we drove out to Sudbury Hall -- the house used as the interior of Pemberley in the 1995 "Pride and Prejudice." We had not thought we would be able to see it, but our dear parents surprised us with it!



The first thing I saw when we walked inside the house was one of the dresses worn by Kate Winslet in the movie "Sense and Sensibility." I think my mouth must have dropped open! Near it was another costume worn by Emma Thompson in the same scene. We found out that costumes from "Sense and Sensibility," "Pride and Prejudice," and "Persuasion," had been put on display as compensation to the visitors for having the Museum of Childhood closed for refurbishment. Compensation indeed! Several favorites were Mr. Darcy's green riding outfit and Lizzie's cream colored dress worn during her evening at Pemberley. They also had one each of Miss Bingley's and Mrs. Hurst's gowns on display, and you would not believe how ugly they are! Which I suppose was the point...

The house itself was absolutely lovely. We saw the famous plasterwork staircase, the Music room, Mr. Darcy's bedroom, the study, and the long gallery. One room not featured in the movie was the downstairs library -- it was only about 15' by 20' (in other words, minute by the standards of large country houses), but it had two stories of solid books and a little spiral staircase in one corner. I was hopelessly in love with it at first sight.