The kings and queens of Hollywood who reigned from Derbyshire thrones

The county’s pride is no stranger to the big screen. Gurjeet Nanrah looks and the locations which gave the backdrop to some box office hits

DERBYSHIRE’S natural landscape in the Peak District and historic country estates have made it an ideal location to shoot some big-name TV shows and films.

The county has seen actors from Keira Knightley to Russell Crowe do what they do best in front of the camera at some of the county’s most famous landmarks.

Major productions such as Pride and Prejudice (2005), Robin Hood (2010), and Mary Queen of Scots (2019) were partially filmed in the local area, often to portray other areas in the UK.

Bygones has compiled a list of many of the locations that these well-known productions have used.

HARDWICK HALL

This 16th Century Elizabethan home is known for having “more glass than wall” and was featured in Mary Queen of Scots (2019), starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie.

External shots were used here to replicate Hampton Court Palace, including one scene where Queen Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie) is standing on the roof of the hall.

Interestingly, Hardwick is also thought to have been the inspiration for Malfoy Manor in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows (2010).

Exterior shots for the blockbuster were filmed from a helicopter and the film-makers photographed and measured inside to help shoot indoor scenes at the studio.

STANAGE EDGE

Stanage Edge is a famous climbing location in the Peak District that borders South Yorkshire to the north.

It serves as the scenic spot where Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) daydreamed of Mr Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen) in Pride and Prejudice (2005).

The area is known for its waling trails and stunning views.

KEDLESTON HALL

The seat of the Curzon family which has routes dating all the way back to 1066 - this manor house is located only a few miles north-west of Derby.

The house was a setting used for the The Duchess (2008) also starring Keira Knightley and it depicted three locations in the film, the Spencer family home in Althorp, Devonshire House in London and a rented villa in Bath.

It also featured in the 2006 BBC series Jane Eyre.

A walk around Kedleston Hall brings visitors a step closer to an aristocratic world similar to that of Downton Abbey.

DOVEDALE

This scenic valley and the River Dove was a filming location used for 2010’s Robin Hood starring Russell Crowe, and also for the BBC’s Jane Eyre series.

The area is known for its odd rock formations – including Ilam Rock – and was also where The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), starring Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson, was partially filmed.

DERWENT VALLEY

This location was not only the training ground where the 617 Dam Busters squadron practised lowlevel flying for raids on Germany in the Second World War, it was also featured in the subsequent film.

The Dam Busters (1955) made use of reservoirs on the site to recreate locations in the German Ruhr valley.

Famed for its countryside walks, visitors to the Upper Derwent Valley can explore three dams: Ladybower, Howden and Derwent.

Recently, Ladybower Reservoir’s giant “plug hole” was used in scenes for Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015).

MATLOCK BATH

Derbyshire’s “little Switzerland” was developed as one of England’s earliest tourist locations and filmmakers have been keen to make use of it since.

The village was the location for Derbyshire director Nick Whitfield’s award-winning debut film, Skeletons (2010), a quirky cult movie that won Best New British Film at the Edinburgh Film Festival.

It still retains many of its features that impressed visitors from previous centuries.

HADFIELD

Another Derbyshire Dales village used for filming is Hadfield.

The village in the High Peak was used as Royston Vasey - a fictional town in the BBC series The League of Gentlemen (1999 - 2002) and was again used in a 2005 film adaptation.

HADDON HALL

One of the UK’s bestpreserved medieval houses is Haddon Hall that also was used as a location for Mary Queen of Scots. Haddon was again used in scenes representing Hampton Court Palace and also the interior of Lord Darnley’s Chamber at Holyrood and as a servant prep room. Among other productions, Pride and Prejudice (2005) also made use of the hall, and it was used as a filming location for The Princess Bride (1987) starring Robin Wright.

MATLOCK BATH - home to the Heights of Abraham and the setting for Nick Whitfield’s 2010 award-winning film Skeletons Margot Robbie took residence at Hardwick Hall in 2019 when cast in the Hollywood production of Mary Queen of Scots

Haddon Hall is something of a permenent fixture on the big screen, having appeared in Mary Queen of Scots, Pride and Prejudice and The Princess Bride

Keira Knightly once stood here – Stanage Edge – and dreamt of Mr Darcy when playing Elizabeth Bennet in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice

Keira Knightly and Matthew Macfadyen in Pride and Prejudice, which was filmed in Derbyshire Most of us have probably walked over the Dovedale stepping stones - as have the cast of 2010 film Robin Hood, which starred Russell Crowe Kedleston Hall - once home to the Curzon family and one of the locations used for The Duchess and Jayne Eyre

The legendary Spitfire is often seen flying over the Derwent Valley. Not only was it here where the 617 Dam Busters squadron practised low-level flying in the Second World War, but it was also the location for the 1955 movie of the same name