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Home , Eyam Hall, Pemberley, Thornfield Hall, Tissington Hall

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Just one of the stunning views of the . Inset: Charlotte Brontë (left) and

Peak

PWe explore the villageslaces of the Peak District, which inspired both Charlotte Brontë and Jane Austen WORDS SALLY COFFEY

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The dramatic landscape is unforgiving – Keira Knightley had to be strapped on for her iconic scene

he natural beauty of the Peak District, a the village of Morton in on Hathersage. Today it Clockwise, from above: bucolic region of central England that mostly is a popular gateway to the beautiful Hope Valley, while Keira Knightley in falls in , is hard to deny. Its film lovers use it as a staging post to the rock at Stanage ; pretty cottages landscape is punctuated by steep valleys, Edge – the longest inland cliff face in the country – that of Hathersage; dramatic ridges and moorland plateaus, all of which led Keira Knightley stood on, looking out across the land, in North Lees Hall was to it being named Britain’s first National Park in 1951. an iconic scene from the 2005 film adaptation of Pride & the inspiration for

T LAURA HALLETT There are two distinct areas of the park: the green valleys Prejudice. It’s not for the fainthearted, though: Thornfield Hall ; © and limestone caves of the White Peak and the wilder as stunning as it is, the landscape is unforgiving and the glorious views over the millstones under heather-clad, weather-beaten open spaces of the Dark Peak actress had to be strapped on for her scene. Stanage Edge – the very backdrop that Charlotte Brontë described in her From the pretty village of Castleton in the Hope Valley, seminal novel, Jane Eyre. you can visit four incredible caverns: Speedwell, Treak Brontë stayed in the Peak District village of Hathersage Cliff, Peak and Blue John. The last one is famous for the when writing Jane Eyre, and North Lees Hall, an gemstone found there, which is unique to the Peak District. Elizabethan manor house just outside the village, is said to Many local shops stock jewellery made with it. have been her inspiration for Thornfield Hall. Incidentally, Further south, the village of was the location of Eyre is a local name – North Lees Hall was even built by a one of the biggest acts of self-sacrifice the world has ever

Robert Eyre of Highlow. seen. In 1666, the village, which had been ravaged by PICTORIAL ARCHIVE/ SPROULE/AF ELLIS/ANDREW NICHOLSON/JACKIE CHRISTOPHER © Brontë stayed at the vicarage in Hathersage as a guest the plague, sealed itself off, stemming the spread of PRESS LTD/CLASSIC IMAGE/HELEN HOTSON/ALAMY. ILLUSTRATION: of her friend Ellen Nussey and letters revealed she modelled the disease. The plague had arrived in the village the PHOTOS:

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Left: View from Monsal Head Below: One of the modest ‘plague cottages’ in Eyam

The Armillary Court and Well Court Gardens at Snowshill Manor

previous year, supposedly in a bale of cloth all the way from London that had been inhabited by diseased fleas. As residents began perishing, the village’s new rector, together with his predecessor, convinced villagers to stay put and sacrifice their own lives to prevent the disease spreading to other villages and towns. In total, 260 villagers died, but thousands of other people were saved. The heroic actions of the people of Eyam are remembered in the three ‘plague cottages’ that remain by the church. Each of the modest stone cottages has a plaque recording how many people died – one woman was the sole survivor of her household, having lost 25 relatives in total. Also in the village is , a Jacobean house now looked after by the National Trust, and a useful place for booking tours of the area. The hall itself, which was built just six years after the plague, is also worth a visit. Built from Derbyshire gritstone, it is a beautiful example of a 17th-century manor house and its English walled garden is delightful – in summer bright clusters of pink roses climb the walls of the building, while rose archways frame the pathway. A little outside Eyam you can visit the viewpoint at Monsal Head, which provides a stunning vista of below. The Headstone Viaduct that you see here is a remnant of the disused Midland Railway line and this now forms part of a popular cycling, walking and horse-riding trail that weaves through old tunnels between Chee Dale and Bakewell. One of the old railway stations, Hassop, has even been restored into a popular pit stop and is a great place to rest for lunch. For a slice of English rural life, it doesn’t get much better than Ashford in the Water where they play cricket in whites

JOE DUNCKLEY/ISTOCK/NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES/JAMES DOBSON IMAGES/JAMES TRUST DUNCKLEY/ISTOCK/NATIONAL JOE on Sunday and chickens run around in the garden of the ©

tea shop. One of the cottages even has its own chapel, while

PHOTOS: the village shop is a great place to pick up local delicacies

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may have been started by the Romans or Celts to thank the gods for the water. You can’t go to the Peak District without visiting the market town of Bakewell, home to the famous Bakewell pudding. It was at the Rutland Arms (then the White Horse Inn) where the legendary pudding was first created. Apparently, it was the result of a misunderstanding between the mistress of the inn and her cook. The story goes that some guests ordered strawberry tart and rather than stirring the egg mixture into the pastry, the cook spread it on top of the jam. The result was so popular that the wife of a local chandler obtained the recipe and

EYE35/LOOP IMAGES LTD/ALAMY IMAGES EYE35/LOOP began selling the puddings from what is now The Old ©

Original Bakewell Pudding Shop. Today a visit here is

PHOTOS: almost obligatory – you can even book a class and learn how to make your own Bakewell pudding. Above: The autumn such as Hartington cheese and Thornbridge beer. The Bakewell is also an excellent base for visiting the stately colours in Ashford village, which is almost inconceivably pretty, is best known home of and we’re not the first to think in the Water are for its Sheepwash Bridge, whose name alludes to an old so: some say that Jane Austen stayed in the Rutland Arms simply beautiful Top: Colourful spring tradition that is resurrected each year during the when she was writing Pride and Prejudice, although others well dressing town’s well-dressing festivities. say she stayed at . Whatever the truth, in During the custom of sheepwashing, lambs were placed Pemberley is most certainly based on Chatsworth and in a pen on one side of the river and the ewes would swim Bakewell was portrayed as Lambton in the book. across the water to reach them with the farmers scrubbing Haddon Hall, near the village of Rowsley, is a striking their fleeces as they went. The idea was that clean wool medieval manor house, which lay dormant for 200 years would fetch more money. until it was restored in the 1920s by the 9th Duke and Well dressing is a tradition peculiar to Derbyshire and Duchess of Rutland. takes place in Peak District villages between May and This year marks 30 years since the release of The September. It’s a custom of using local flowers, seeds and Princess Bride, which was filmed here, while fans of other natural materials to decorate wells and springs, and Charlotte Brontë can also enjoy strolling performances

www.britain-magazine.com BRITAIN 71 rural britain Read our full review of The Peacock at Rowsley at www.britain- magazine.com/ peacock KEITH SKINGLE/PEAKSCAPE/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO STOCK SKINGLE/PEAKSCAPE/ALAMY KEITH ©

PHOTOS:

Above: Haddon Hall of Jane Eyre – a nod to the fact that two of the film is a striking medieval adaptations and one of the TV series was filmed here. THE PLANNER manor house If you’re looking for somewhere to lay your head, then Bottom: The owner The Peacock at Rowsley, which dates from 1652, is a of will GETTING THERE show you around splendid Grade II listed boutique hotel that was once the The main gateway train stations for the Derbyshire Peak dower house for Haddon Hall. District are Chesterfield, Derby and . From the last two Finally, at the southern edge of the Peak District is stations, the Transpeak bus route takes in many of the region’s Tissington – a village that has been managed by the pretty villages. www.thetrainline.com; www.highpeakbuses.com/ FitzHerbert family since the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. transpeak-service Central to the village is the Jacobean manor house of Tissington Hall and, as well as self-guided visits, you can WHERE TO EAT book on to a personal tour with the current owner Sir Refuel along the Monsal Trail at the Hassop Station Café, Richard FitzHerbert. If you ever wanted to meet a member housed in a former train station, which is open from 9am to 5pm as of the aristocracy and hear firsthand about living in a well as evenings in summer. The menu includes cooked breakfasts, historic home, then this is your chance. salads, sandwiches and local pork pies. www.hassopstation.co.uk  For more Peak District inspiration, visit www.britain-magazine.com WHERE TO STAY For more refined fare, the award-winning restaurant at Fischer's Baslow Hall, a sumptuous country house hotel, celebrates the best in British produce. After dinner, retire to one of the luxury rooms or suites, many of which have garden views from their mullioned windows. www.fischers-baslowhall.co.uk

WALKING ADVENTURES If you want to explore Britain’s first national park on foot but don’t know where to begin, book a private tour with experienced guide Cath Lee who can draw upon her wealth of experience to devise the perfect walk for you. www.peakwalking.com

FURTHER INFORMATION i www.visitpeakdistrict.co.uk

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