Basildon Park

Last Friday, I took a day trip up to Basildon Park. 

I started off the day bright and early at Paddington Station to catch a commuter train to Goring.  I had to grab an early train as once I arrived in Goring, I had to catch the 11am bus to the estate. As it is a small town, there are irregular bus services. Thankfully, everything worked fine, and I got to the estate a bit before 11:30am.

Before I continue, Basildon Park has been used for numerous films and television shows.  The house, itself, has a cool history. But, part of the reason I went was to take the film tour at 11:30am. Most recently, Basildon Park was used in the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice and the 2013 Christmas Special of Downton Abbey (season four).

The film tour provided an overview of how the house was transformed for the Downton Abbey episode that was shot there. The insides of the house were used for the Crowley's Hyde Park home with the front lawn being the setting for the Hyde Park scenes. It was fun exploring each room where a still was set up to help recall what was shot in each room.

Carson!

Mrs. Crowley

Room used as the ballroom for Downton Abbey and Pride and Prejudice 

Library

Following the tour, I explored the upper part of the house which showcased how the house had been modernized from the 1950s. 

While some of the grounds were shut down for maintenance, I did grab a few shots of the backyard.

Just a tiny backyard, huh?

Following a quick lunch, I ended up walking back to Goring as the bus schedule wasn't conforming to my schedule. I did get lost for a bit, but it helped me discover a few other small towns along the way!

Burghley House

This past Friday, my friend, Alex, and I jaunted up to Lincolnshire to check out Burghley House!

We left King's Cross around 8:30am, and we got off in Stamford around 10am. Stamford is England's finest stone town. The majority of the homes and buildings are made out of limestone.

Stamford Train Station

Stamford may look familiar to my fellow Pride and Prejudice fans. It was used as Meryton in the 2005 version of the movie.

No, sadly...the regiments were not around.

Alex and I took off on foot to Burghley House. It was a gorgeous day out, so we decided to walk rather than take a cab. I highly recommend this option as there are sidewalks all the way to the house as well as the opportunity to explore the English countryside.

Burghley House was used as Rosings in the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice. 

Are you sensing a theme yet?

This trip was reminiscent of the trip to Chatsworth House I did during the first year of grad school.

Sadly, the House, itself, was closed on the day we went. But, there was still tons to do.

First, we explored the grounds.

The Elizabethan gardens have been reconstructed based off of plans found in the house, and they were adjacent to the sculpture garden. 

Pond on Location

Gardens

A Big Bunny

Before we headed back into London, Alex and I feasted on traditional British fare at the restaurant in the house. Luckily, that was open, so we were able to peak a bit into how it was decorated.

It was a perfect day out of London to get some fresh air, share some laughs, and hunt for Mr. Darcy!

Being a Tourist & Traveling

As I wrap up my last few months in London, I've got a lot of things to see and do...both in London and outside.

Over the next two weeks, I'm seeing three different plays/musicals. This week, I'm starting with Les Mis. Next week, I'm catching Miss Saigon which just opened back up on the West End as well as Handbagged.

For fun this weekend, I'm headed to Stockholm for a quick overnight trip.  The majority of my friends have their finals at the end of May/beginning of June whereas I don't. Mine besides the papers due this past week are in the middle of June, and I've already started studying. So, as a huge advocate of traveling by yourself, I'm excited to try out another country in Eastern Europe, take in the cultural sights, and just relax!

My friend, Alex, and I are taking a day trip to Burghley! It's heralded as England's Grandest Elizabethan House. Plus, it's been used in films such as Pride and Prejudice!

I'm headed to Bulgaria from May 18th-20th. It will be my last solo trip in Europe.

And, at the moment, my friend, Nicola, and I are researching a trip to either Slovenia or Croatia at the end of the month. Nicola and I interned at the Embassy together in the fall, and we traversed around Munich in November. There are a ton of day trips from either location, and Croatia stands to give us a chance to see three additional countries. Lots of planning as we narrow in on what we want to do!

If you have any tips regarding any of these places, leave a comment! 

Pride and Prejudice Themed Day Trip!

“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”

I'm a huge Jane Austen fan. I have been since I first discovered the BBC version of "Pride and Prejudice" and saw Colin Firth portray Mr. Darcy. From there on out, I started reading  devouring her six novels. "Pride and Prejudice" has remained my favorite since the first time I watched the BBC version. Reading the novel confirmed that, and if I need more confirmation, both the version before the BBC one as well as the 2005 film solidified the idea.  I can quote lines from the book as well as two of the versions of the movie. My Pinterest boards are sometimes cluttered with lines from Mr. Darcy as well as images. Hopeless Romantic here..

Thus, it comes to no surprise that this time around living in England, I wanted to check out inspirations for the film locations as well as actual inspirations for Jane Austen. The trip to Bath is scheduled for next term to see her actual home and do the tour. Nevertheless, as I sat down to plan these said journeys, I found one location that fulfilled both the film location and an actual inspiration. Chatsworth House in the Peak District served as the actual inspiration for Pemberly when Jane Austen wrote "Pride and Prejudice," and the 2005 movie shot there. 

So, yesterday, Zaina, Emma, and I were determined to reach Chatsworth House.  We decided to rent a car rather than rely on a train and a bus schedule that was last updated in 2003. Leaving Heathrow, it took us about three hours to get there including stops and getting lost for awhile. We rented the car at Heathrow, so that Zaina could avoid London city traffic. It was the same price including the additional fares on the tube out to zone six. 

Let me just say, the Peak District is gorgeous. I've never really ventured into the Midlands/Peak District before, and it rivals the views of cliffs and coastlines. We didn't have time to hike to Stanage Edge- where they shot Elizabeth Bennet (Kiera Knightly) overlooking the countryside in the 2005 movie. Yet, the Peak District is also close to Sherwood Forest, so we know we will back again.

Chatsworth House is huge. The current Duke and Duchess of Devonshire still live there, but it is open for tours. While they had decorated for Christmas and some of the rooms were shut down for renovations, we still go the full experience. 

Chatsworth House

Famous Balcony from the 2005 film

I kept quoting lines as we would walk through the house. The grounds outside were still well landscaped for the fall season with the views in the distance spectacular.   Oh, and if you were wondering where Mr. Darcy was...I found him. The house still has the 2005 statue as seen in the gallery when Elizabeth Bennet tours Pemberly with her aunt and uncle. It's located in the gift shop, somewhat up on a shelf. I actually had to ask as I did not see it right away. I may have been the only one in the shop taking a photo of it, but a fan has to do what a fan has to do. 

Chatsworth House also plays host to a Christmas Market which we enjoyed before we ventured into the local town of Bakewell for dinner and to test out the famous Bakewell puddings. For those who do not know, Bakewell is famous for their Bakewell puddings. I'm not sure of the exact ingredients in the pie as one of them are secret, but it is worth it. Guilt food at its' finest! 

We headed back to London shortly after dinner as we had to get the rental car back to Heathrow. It was well worth the journey up and down. I would recommend it to all Jane Austen fans as well as those who appreciate history (including some JFK trivia), small towns, and the countryside. 

Zaina and I

Emma and I