Vagabond's Compass: Looking for Mr. Darcy

Being a fan of Jane Austen, when I learned that Chatsworth, the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, was her inspiration for Pemberley the Darcy estate in Pride and Prejudice, and also when this same estate was used as the film location for Pemberley in the 2005 film version of the book. I just had to go, and thankfully I was able to talk Shawn and Candy into it too.

Driving up to the hundred plus acres of farmland, we realized that the locals were preparing for a country fair. I recognized the house immediately, and it was just as grand as I expected it to be. We had a picnic lunch (pb&j) and headed over to tour a few of the gardens. The gardens were lovely and I found it interesting that there were many modern sculptures alongside the traditional statues. This is a reflection of the contemporary tastes of the Duke and Duchess.

When we toured the house (which took some time because it is massive) there were also many contemporary pieces of art along side Victorian portraits. The most impressive part of the house to me, was that the ceilings were painted...almost all of them, with massive baroque style scenes. All in all, upon seeing Chatsworth, I felt like Elisabeth Bennett when she first saw Pemberley, without of course the regret of knowing it could have all been mine had I accepted Mr. Darcy's proposal.