Haddon Hall

Described by Simon Jenkins in “1000 Best Houses” as “the most perfect house to survive from the middle ages”, Haddon Hall is probably the finest example of a fortified medieval manor house in existence.

Set in the heart of the beautiful Peak District National Park, 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. Today Haddon Hall sits like a jewel in its Elizabethan terraced gardens, and overlooking the River Wye.

Film-makers flock to Haddon Hall to use it as a location. The house and grounds have played host to no less than three versions of Jane Eyre. Screen credits also include Elizabeth, Pride & Prejudice and The Other Boleyn Girl and The Princess Bride, the cult classic movie in which Haddon Hall becomes Prince Humperdinck’s Castle and village.

Outside, the Hall is covered in soft pink and cream roses that are allowed to clamber over the walls. The gardens have recently been redesigned in collaboration with award winning designer, Arne Maynard. Wildflowers are a key element and the gardens are surrounded by atmospheric ancient walls which lead from the garden into the medieval deer park. The two principal terraces – linked by the Elizabethan staircase with its original balustrade – and knot garden are more formal and are planted with period plants. The Dyeing Border is filled with plants that would have been used to dye the silks for the tapestries in the Hall.

Haddon Hall