Two of Jane Austen’s novels – Northanger Abbey and
Persuasion – particularly reflect her intimate knowledge
of the city. With its wealth of beautifully preserved Georgian
streets and buildings, Bath today offers filmmakers a uniquely
authentic backdrop against which to recreate Jane Austen’s world in
its original location.
The Assembly Rooms have appeared in two BBC Jane Austen
adaptations: in Northanger Abbey in 1987, which starred
Katharine Schlesinger and Peter Firth; and in the 1995
Persuasion, starring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds.
The Royal Crescent, which attracts filming every year from
dramas to documentaries and travel programmes, was featured in the
1987 production of Northanger Abbey.
The Pump Room was an important meeting place in Jane Austen’s
Bath. It is seen in Persuasion just as it would have been
used in Jane Austen’s day and as it appears in the novels – with
very little alteration needed.
Outside the city, the medieval village of Lacock has provided
locations for the BBC’s popular serial of Pride &
Prejudice, where it was used as Meryton, when the Bennet
sisters go to visit the milliner’s shop and flirt with the
officers; and it also appeared in ITV’s Emma.
A scene filmed at the Circus in Bath
.jpg "Image: photograph from the filming of Persuasion, two female costumed characters walking by the Abbey in Bath")
A scene filmed near Bath Abbey