Love Netflix’s Persuasion? 5 movie locations you can visit, from a picturesque seaside town to grand houses
- The Netflix adaptation of Jane Austen’s final completed novel was filmed across a range of charming places in England, many of which the public can visit
- Time will tell whether Netflix’s free walking tours of locations from hit shows such as Emily in Paris and Bridgerton will be extended to Persuasion
Netflix’s new production of Persuasion, which includes Crazy Rich Asians’ Henry Golding among its ensemble cast, has had Jane Austen purists reaching for the smelling salts.
Austen’s final completed novel follows the travails of heartbroken heroine Anne Elliot (Dakota Johnson) who was once “persuaded” to reject the marriage proposal of Captain Frederick Wentworth as he had no status or fortune.
When Wentworth reappears several years later, Anne is also been wooed by the charming and handsome William Elliot (Golding), who as her distant cousin is heir to her family home, Kellynch Hall.
Netflix’s version has been criticised for gauchely including modern-day language and breaking the fourth wall with knowing quips direct to the camera.
Although the adaptation has sparked controversy over its inauthenticity, what Netflix has stayed true to are the locations. Austen’s novel was partly set in Lyme Regis and Bath in southwest England – one of the rare instances the author referenced real places in her fiction. Both were used as locations for the Netflix production.
Netflix has found that the settings of its dramas are a key part of their appeal to viewers. A Netflix spokesperson recently noted that the location of a series or film frequently becomes the destination viewers most want to visit, and that they show an increased interest in the landmarks, history, and food and drink of those locations.
