
We’re very enthusiastic about providing film and TV with the backdrops needed to create some of the best entertainment around in Manchester. Luckily, just a short drive away from the city is the location of the grand mansion used as Mr. Darcy‘s house in the BBC adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, which is part of Lyme Estate in Disley, Cheshire, and its surroundings are open to the public thanks to the National Trust.
From a hunting lodge to a country house there’s 600 years of history hidden at Lyme. It’s the quaint hunting lodge, Lyme East Lodge, on the grounds that can be rented for two-night stays, with prices starting from £315.

Swap grey window views for vast panoramas of green countryside and roaming red deer, as Lyme East Lodge is nestled on the eastern boundary of Lyme’s 1,400 acre historic deer park. The two-bedroom Edwardian cottage overlooks the moorland plateau of Kinder Scout and the historic cage banqueting tower, which was used as a 16th-century hunting lodge.
Inside the sandstone house you’ll find an inviting interior with spacious rooms that retain some of their original features. It can also accommodate dogs too, with a garden at the rear of the cottage for pup to stretch his legs.
Take advantage of free access to the Lyme estate, exploring the many walking trails or visit the main house where much of the BBC adaptation of Pride & Prejudice was filmed. Promenade through the beautiful gardens, creating a regency romance of your very own, see the lake from the infamous wet t-shirt scene (although recreations are discouraged), or don your finery and tickle the ivories inside the house, just like Jane Austen would’ve wanted.
Speaking of, Jane Austen was born in Steventon, North Hampshire, but that doesn’t stop the North from being a literary haven. The Brontë sisters were famously born in Bradford, and subsequently moved to beautiful Haworth in Yorkshire, not dissimilar to Lyme in environment and location. Lyme really represents English heritage and literary excellence, and could very well have been the inspiration for many fictional worlds, which we’ll soon be able to live in ourselves.
If you want to delve further into the moorlands and craggy terrains of the Peak District, a 20 minute drive will take you into the heart of the National Park, and the spa town of Buxton is just a 35 minute drive.
Like many great houses, Lyme was built and rebuilt, embellished and enlarged throughout its ownership by the Legh family, with each generation making its mark and creating the house we see today. Explore the endless rooms and discover unusual objects and strange secrets as you walk through six centuries of family history at Lyme in Cheshire. You can also find out about the battle that changed the Legh family’s fortunes and why images of “severed arms” and ram’s heads feature on the walls, ceilings and furniture in the house.

Nearby, there is also the Timber Yard Coffee Shop to be explored for tea, coffee, and cake, and a restaurant that is open for lunch daily, so you’ll never go hungry with the Peak District hospitality that surrounds Lyme.
You can find out more information and book a getaway to Lyme on the National Trust website.
📍 Lyme Estate is located in Disley, Stockport, SK12 2NR.