Jane Eyre filming location. My afternoon at Haddon Hall...

Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska from Jane Eyre at Haddon Hall aka Thornfield Hall

In the summer of 2009, I was lucky enough to go to the Peak District in Derbyshire for a few days, part of a longer tour of Scotland and Northern England. My husband (The Squire) and I stayed in darling Bakewell for a few nights and thankfully The Squire was driving, as this is not a part of England well served by trains. Haddon Hall and Chatsworth were only a hop skip and a jump away from the centre of Bakewell. These are the photos from our afternoon at Haddon Hall. We had been at Chatsworth all morning, and ended up going back in the late afternoon after we were finished seeing Haddon Hall. There is much more to see at Chatsworth, especially outdoors, so it was a great way of breaking up the day. Haddon Hall was a much less crowded spot to have lunch too, and it is only a few minutes drive away as I recall.

Note that these photos are in gorgeous HD if you click on them twice to expand them. My talented photographer will make you feel as if you are right there!

Haddon Hall (Thornfield Hall) near Bakewell, Derbyshire from the approach

The restaurant at Haddon Hall is in the 17th century stable block, with topiary out front!

Main entrance to Haddon Hall under the North West Tower

Lower Courtyard at Haddon Hall just before a rain shower!

The Chapel at Haddon Hall dates from the 15th Century

The wonky windows at Haddon Hall really do undulate. It's not an illusion!

A little sitting area jutting out from the Long Gallery of Haddon Hall. Note the light grayish wood paneling. You'll see a lot of that in Jane Eyre.

This is the outside of the sitting area of the Long Gallery from the photo above.  It overlooks the gardens of Haddon Hall.

Haddon Hall's gorgeous gardens dating from the Elizabethan era.

Note the large stone ball finials capping the newel posts at Haddon Hall. You will see these in the film!

Sorry that I am in this photo, but the flowers were just so gorgeous!

We had lunch in the adorable restaurant which is at the foot of the stairs at the main entrance (below the imposing North-West Tower). There was a little rain shower while we were inside the building, which worked out perfectly. It had just stopped by the time we popped out into the gardens after the tour of the public part of the house.  Lord and Lady Manners actually live in the house, so it is not entirely open to visitors. I will be interested to see the parts of the house which are in the film, but which we were unable to view. I wish I had a better photo of the Long Gallery and one of the Banqueting Hall, but if you go on the website for Haddon Hall, they have a lovely 360 degree virtual tour.
The history of this house is very interesting.  Here is the description from the Haddon Hall website:

"Haddon Hall is probably the finest example of a fortified medieval manor house in existence. Present-day Haddon Hall dates from the 12th Century to the early 17th Century, whereupon it lay dormant for over two hundred years from 1700 until the 1920s, when the 9th Duke and Duchess of Rutland restored the house and gardens, and once again made it habitable.

Avoiding fire; warfare; family misfortune and changing fashions, little has changed over the recent centuries and Haddon provides a unique view of early English life and history."

I'll conclude with an aerial shot of the grounds of Haddon Hall, also from their website.

Haddon Hall Derbyshire, aerial view

I'd love to go back there someday soon. The entire Peak District was gorgeous. Now I know why Lizzy Bennet was quite content with this county after all, although the Lakes District is gorgeous too. I'll save that one for another post!