11 famous houses from classic literature

Educational

Posted by Ruth on 17th January 2022

Famous houses in literature

While the characters in stories are often remembered most vividly, sometimes it's the location which resonates the most reminding us of places we've been or places we dream of visiting. We’ve looked back at some of the most famous homes in classic literature and compiled a list of settings to ignite your creative imagination. 

Some of those on the list exist outside the pages of a book, while the odd one has been converted into a visitor attraction too. 

Peruse our list and prepare to be transported.


Whitby Abbey, said to be the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula

Castle Dracula

From: Dracula by Bram Stoker

Fans of the world’s most-feared vampire Count Dracula will be familiar in their mind's eye with his decaying castle, covered in dust and cobwebs. We’re guessing that Castle Dracula in Bram Stoker’s classic may have been a sight to behold before it was neglected for centuries and left for the vampires.

It’s said that Stoker found inspiration for his creepy protagonist after a visit to Whitby – in particular, the town’s imposing 7th-century Gothic abbey which draws parallels with the crumbling Castle Dracula.

You can visit the soaring ruins for yourself on a break to the North Yorkshire coastal town, which also offers excellent restaurants, independent shops and host of bars and cafes along its medieval streets. Or, read our guide to literary days out in Yorkshire to find inspiration for a cultural getaway. 

Whitby cottages


Stay in a quirky Hobbit HouseHidden Hollow (left) and The Hobbit Hole

Bag End

From: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Set in Middle Earth, Tolkien’s magical land of hobbits, orcs, elves, dragons, and trolls is the stuff of fantasy. The most recognisable of the literary sites in the Shire is Bilbo Baggins’ house – Bag End – with its iconic circular green door. While you’d have to fly to New Zealand to see the filming location for yourself, there are plenty of ways to experience life as a hobbit right here in the UK.

There are a few hobbit hole holiday cottages you can stay in and live life like they do in Hobbiton. The Hobbit Hole is close to the beautiful coastline of Westward Ho!, while Hidden Hollow is set on an idyllic smallholding close to the River Severn.

Quirky cottages


The ruins of Top Withens Farm, near Haworth, Yorkshire

Wuthering Heights

From: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Not a grand mansion or a castle, but the farmhouse on the moors in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights is a beautiful place the Earnshaws called home. The ruins of Top Withens Farm are said to be the real-life inspiration for this sad story of doomed love in a cold climate.

The ruins are only 3 miles west of Haworth, in the heart of Bronte Country and a perfect destination for a book lover's break, where you can explore the town’s historic cobbled streets surrounded by rolling moors.

Haworth cottages


Haddon Hall, Derbyshire, said to be the inspiration for Thornfield Hall

Thornfield Hall

From: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

The huge, isolated English estate in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre has many unused rooms and lush grounds. Though the mansion itself is often described as dark and gloomy, the sheer size and grandeur of this home is one to be admired. And just who is the mysterious Grace Poole hiding in the cavernous attic?

It’s said that Thornfield Hall was inspired by the 11th-century Haddon Hall, Derbyshire, which has also been used on numerous occasions as the setting for film and television adaptations of the novel.

You can see it for yourself on a visit to the Peak District, where you can also explore nearby Bakewell, home of the famous pudding.

Peak District cottages


Pemberley House

From: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

This country estate is owned by Mr Darcy in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. A stone building standing on rising ground and backed by a ridge of high, woody hills and believed to be based on a house near Bakewell in the Peak District. 

Walk in the footsteps of Mr Darcey at a visit to Chatsworth House and Estate, which some say was Austen’s inspiration for the setting of the novel and has been used in film and TV adaptations, too. Close to Bakewell, it makes a perfect starting point for a holiday in the Peaks.

Bakewell cottages


Fountains Hall, Yorkshire, the setting for the 1993 film adaptation of The Secret Garden

Misselthwaite Manor

From: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Another mansion situated in the Yorkshire Moors, Misselthwaite Manor is one of the most famous houses in children's literature, where the heroic Mary Lennox goes to live with her uncle in Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden. Though the grandeur of the house is played down to give detail to the beautiful gardens, it’s one of the fictional homes we remember most.

The National Trust’s Grade I-listed Fountains Hall was the setting for some exterior shots of the 1993 film adaptation of the novel. You can see the real-life ‘secret garden’ on a visit to the country house, near Ripon, where you can also explore the city’s cathedral and see the historic Ripon Hornblower blow his horn at 9pm every evening.

Ripon cottages


Oheka Castle in Huntington, New York, one of the locations for the 2013 Great Gatsby film.

The Gatsby’s Mansion

From: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitgerald

The location of many decadent parties, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic The Great Gatsby’s mansion was a place where only the most elite subset partied. The real-life mansion in Sands Point, Long Island, which featured in the 2013 film adaptation went on sale for a cool $85 million, so that should give an indication as to the wealth of those who reside there.

If you can’t quite make it to Long Island, you can get the same 1920s vibe at the National Trust’s Coleton Fishacre house in South Devon. Step back in time with the Art Deco interior and imagine what life was like in the Jazz Age.

South Devon cottages


Cranborne House

Cranborne Manor, Manderley in the 2022 film adaptation of Rebecca

Manderley

From: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” Was there ever a more iconic first line in literature?

Manderley is one of the most famous houses in literature and is thought to be based on Menabilly near Fowey, Cornwall. The novel’s author, Daphne du Maurier, wanted this grand home as her own and its influence can be seen in the setting of the novel too, with many of the coves reminiscent of Readymoney Cove where Menabilly is based.

In the 2021 adaptation of Rebecca, Cranborne Manor in Dorset is the setting of Manderley’s exterior location. The Grade I-listed country house is perfect as Maxim de Winter’s imposing estate which (spoilers!) meets a tragic end.

Cornwall cottages


221B Baker Street, home to the Sherlock Holmes Museum

221B Baker Street

From: the Sherlock Holmes mysteries by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Sherlock Holmes is one of the world’s greatest fictional detectives. A great sleuth needs an even greater place to think, and his residence was in the high-class residential district of Baker Street in the heart of West London. When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote his famous series of Sherlock Holmes books, this address did not exist. However, following an extension, 221B is now a real address and home to the official Sherlock Holmes Museum.

London cottages


Dickens House MuseumCredit: Tourism, Thanet District Council

Betsey Trotwood’s House

From: David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

Fans of the novel David Copperfield will remember Betsey Trotwood’s house on the Kent coast as a safe haven which the protagonist David walked to barefoot before being welcomed by his aunt Betsey and finding sanctuary after years of cruelty.

The 2020 adaptation of David Copperfield saw Bedmond House in Hemel Hempstead stand in for the novel’s original Kent location. But the house in the novel was based upon a home in Broadstairs, Kent, which was once inhabited by Mary Pearson Strong, the inspiration for Dickens’ Betsey Trotwood. The house is now the Dickens House Museum which you can visit on a trip to Kent.

Kent cottages


Harry Potter filming locationsGloucester Cathedral (left) and Durham Cathedral

Hogwarts

From: the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

While some would argue Hogwarts shouldn’t appear on a list of famous literary houses, due to it being a castle, it was perhaps the first place Harry Potter truly felt at home – so we think it counts!

This mysterious and enchanting school of witchcraft and wizardry is believed to be set in Scotland. But in the famous film franchise, many buildings from across the UK became the location of this iconic school. These include Gloucester Cathedral, Lacock Abbey, Oxford’s Christ Church College, Durham Cathedral and Alnwick Castle to name but a few! Find out more about where Harry Potter was filmed with our guide to the top Harry Potter filming locations.

Harry Potter filming locations


Take a literary staycation

You can visit this iconic locations for yourself on a UK cottage break. Take a look at our range of holiday cottages to find the perfect place to curl up with a good book after a literary-inspired day out. 

Our cottage collection

Disclaimer: Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information at the time of writing, please ensure you check carefully before making any decisions based on the contents within this article.