A Quest (part one)

“One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other” – Jane Austen




Several years ago, at a social gathering at my house, the female members of the group started having a spirited literary debate. Well, sort of – we were discussing whether or not we thought Mr Darcy and Mr Knightley were virgins at the time of their marriage. I can’t actually remember what side of the debate I was on at the time, but I do remember feeling very strongly about it. Z interrupted to say, “These are FICTIONAL characters, you know.” Before any of us could respond, James said drily “not in this house.”

It’s true. I’ve been a Jane Austen groupie since I was about nine. I’ve visited her house in Chawton, her grave in Winchester cathedral, the Jane Austen Centre in Bath (pretty much a waste of time). I’ve read her novels, her juvenilia, her letters, and various biographies and works of criticism, an excellent Choose Your Jane Austen Adventure book courtesy of Heidi, plus some really bad “sequels” – those are always a mistake. I’ve seen the movies (even the one with Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier, which is hilariously far from both the book and any semblance of the Regency period).

But this week, I was on a mission very close to my heart:

The search for Mr. Darcy.

The sexiest man in literature (don’t even talk to me about that co-dependent brute Heathcliffe).

I was off to Derbyshire.

It’s time I saw more of the Midlands anyway, and the Peaks have always sounded lovely. But it certainly didn’t hurt that I would get to visit Fitzwilliam Darcy’s old stomping grounds.

So, we drove up, watching the colours of stones and bricks of houses change, seeing hedges turn into dry stone walls, and the landscape become a little more dramatically peaked and valleyed. Our first stop was Chatsworth. It’s been surmised for ages that Jane Austen had Chatsworth in mind when she wrote about Pemberley, and there are a few details that make it likely. First, it’s gorgeous – an amazing house, with marvelous grounds landscaped by Capability Brown who was particularly expert at making things look naturally beautiful, and who today would probably have been a plastic surgeon. Second, it’s one of, if not THE most stately homes in Derbyshire. Third, it’s believed that Jane Austen visited it. And, total trivia, the woman who’d been Duchess of Devonshire* up until a few years before P&P was published was the rather notorious Georgiana (currently portrayed by Keira Knightley in The Duchess, who is apparently taking over Helena Bonham Carter’s 80s job as Official Period Actress of Britain). JA usually took her character names from her acquaintance or family, and Georgiana isn’t one of them, as far as I know. To add to the interest, bits of the Kiera P&P were filmed here. Exteriors, and the sculpture hall.






The gift shop is hilarious – lots of Duchess bits and pieces (peacock feather wreath, anyone?), the usual “you can garden like Chatsworth too!” type of books (they never mention the hundreds of gardeners, immense acreage, and famous 18th century landscapers in those books, I find); but best of all, they have lots of Mr Darcy kitsch – i.e. reproductions of that painting of Colin Firth as Mr Darcy that Elizabeth gazes at when she visits Pemberley. Now, I adore Colin as Mr Darcy, but I do not want a low-quality reproduction of an imitation Regency painting of him acting that role to hang over my fireplace. Even assuming I had a fireplace. I was quite tempted by the mugs, though.

The interior is full of lovely things, including Landseers, Tintorettos, a Rembrandt, beautiful furnishings and treasures – silver chandeliers, toilet sets, pistols, pottery. I also like that the place isn’t just a museum of the past – the current Duke and Duchess collect contemporary art that complements the interior beautifully (though I did overhear one or two people being a bit sniffy about the juxtaposition of old and new).

The grounds are also beautiful, with more contemporary sculpture.


I don’t know how this baby balances like this.




Back when people didn’t have Wii’s or flat screens, they had mazes. All the cool aristocrats had one.


There are all sorts of fun little secluded gardens, which were probably helpful when Georgiana (the Duchess, not the shy sister) and her husband and friend were conducting their rather complicated affairs.




And of all this, I could have…never really had a chance of being mistress. Though I did find out the heir only got married last year, and looks quite pleasant. Sigh. Really though, it was rather lovely to look out from the windows and see what Elizabeth saw…



*Chatsworth is the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, even though it's in Derbyshire.