'Haddon Hall is on fire!'


I was right! Voila! Thanks to Mrs. Dionysius O'Gall: a lovely article on the new BBC Jane Eyre, being filmed at Haddon Hall- just as my gossipy sources said! (the flames apparently alarmed motorists on the A6 and a fire engine was called). Read it all here. A few excerpts:

Charlotte Bronté's much-loved novel has of course been brought to the screen many times below.

And when Franco Zefirelli shot the story ten years ago, he too chose Haddon Hall as the perfect Thornfield – an imposing house where Jane meets her true love Rochester.The result was, according to this Jane Eyre's producer Diederick Santer, "quite a bad film", but Santer agrees with Zeferelli on one thing – Haddon Hall is Thornfield."It's this wonderful, atmospheric, medieval castle. It feels like it's been here since the beginning of time – and in a way it has been. It offers everything we need and it wasn't a difficult decision to make."

[...]

And starlet Ruth Wilson, who was cast as Jane fresh from drama school ("she's going to be huge!", promises Diederick), has also fallen in love with Haddon: "It makes it so easy to act with all this history around you."

[...]

So when Jane Eyre finally reaches the screen in the autumn, you won't have to look too closely to find a local flavour to what's likely to be a global hit.

..Autumn, eh? ...Hmn. And those would be our first words from Ms.Wilson!

Picture of producer Diederick Santer outside Haddon Hall.