When it comes to locations for period films and dramas, the Peak District and Derbyshire is right up there with the best – and the film industry's latest offerings are sure to put the area firmly on the set-jetting film tourism trail!
The Duchess, starring Keira Knightley in the title role
Robin Hood (2010)
Russell Crowe plays the eponymous hero in Ridley Scott's swashbuckling blockbuster based on the famous folk myth, with Cate Blanchett as beguiling widow Maid Marian.
Archer Robin Longstride returns from the Crusades in the army of Richard the Lionheart, controversial hero-king of England. Scott's action-packed film reveals how, after Richard's death, Robin becomes the rebel hero of the people of Nottingham and rides off to France to restore England to glory.
Peak District locations: Thorpe Pastures and Lindale, Dovedale
2008's big screen 'bodice ripper', The Other Boleyn Girl, which stars leading Hollywood actors Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman, has scenes filmed at Dovedale, Castleton's Cave Dale, North Lees Hall and Haddon Hall – a fine example of a medieval manor house and an extremely popular location with film makers.
BBC TV's 2006 production of Jane Eyre was shot entirely on location in the Peak District and again featured Haddon Hall as Thornfield, Rochester's home, while Lyme Hall at Disley has been a favourite stop for set-jetters since Colin Firth's Mr Darcy emerged dripping from the lake in the BBC dramatisation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice!
Shooting for the acclaimed 2005 cinematic release of Pride and Prejudice, which starred Keira Knightley as Lizzie Bennet and Matthew Macfadyen as Mr Darcy, took place at a number of locations in the area, the Peak District landscapes providing some of the film's spectacular backdrops and Chatsworth doing duty as Mr Darcy's home, Pemberley.
The Duchess, released in autumn 2008, tells the story of Georgiana, fifth Duchess of Devonshire and was shot during autumn 2007 at Kedleston Hall and Chatsworth – Georgiana's real-life home in the 1700s. The film yet again featured Keira Knightley in the title role and promises to be another box office hit, further establishing the Peak District & Derbyshire's reputation as a first class destination for film tourism.
Further information
Haddon Hall | Chatsworth | Kedleston Hall
