Literature, film and TV
Many of our famous writers have been inspired by the drama of the landscape. Wordsworth loved the light on a Cumbrian lake. The wildness of the Yorkshire Moors compelled Emily Bronte to write Wuthering Heights. The misty marshlands of Kent feature in many of Charles Dickens’ novels, and the rural idylls of Dorset were beloved by Thomas Hardy. But if writing a great English novel is not on your agenda, visit one of the many stately homes which are regularly used for film locations and TV locations. Make your own costume drama at houses like Highclere Castle, the setting of the fictional Downton Abbey.
Follow in the footsteps of Jane Austen
Explore the city that inspired one of England’s most famous novel writers.
Location: Bath, Somerset
September events: Live the sense and sensibilities of Jane Austen’s Bath
Step into a Georgian world and explore the City of Bath that inspired one of England’s most famous writers.
Location: Bath, Somerset
Follow in the footsteps of the stars in Bath
Retrace the steps of Kiera Knightley, Reese Witherspoon, and Daniel Radcliffe to see famous film locations in the city and surrounding Bath villages.
Location: Bath, Somerset
Lose yourself within the majestic rooms of Forde Abbey
Pay a visit to Forde Abbey, which was recently the venue for filming a major scene in the 2015 film Far from the Madding Crowd.
Location: Chard, Somerset
Discover Devon's Literature Scene
Devon has provided inspiration for a host of literary greats down the centuries. Many of them lived in Devon, or stayed to be inspired for a time.
Location: Exmoor, Lynton & Lynmouth, Taw and Torridge estuaries, Braunton Burrows, Morte Point