REal places in...Emma

​Emma's world is a small one and most of the novel takes place in the fictional village of Highbury in Surrey. Austen describes Highbury as a "large and populous village, almost amounting to a town" and tells us that the village is 16 miles from London, nine miles from Richmond and seven miles from Box Hill. Highbury is most likely an amalgamation of several places, but Austen may have used Letterhead as the template.  
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Box Hill 

​Jane Austen spent some time in Surrey visiting her relatives at Great Bookham, where her uncle was the vicar. During these visits, Austen became well-acquainted with the county and  local attractions like Box Hill. It's here that she placed Emma's long-awaited day out and the pivotal picnic scene.  Now a National Trust site, Box Hill is still an excellent spot for a picnic lunch. 
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They had a very fine day for Box Hill … Nothing was wanting but to be happy when they got there. Seven miles were travelled in expectation of enjoyment, and every body had a burst of admiration on first arriving

Film LOcations 

The 2009 BBC adaptation of the Jane Austen classic was primarily filmed in Kent. Scenes set at Highbury, the Wodehouse estate, were shot at Squerryes Court, a 17th Century manor house near Westerham. While the charming village of Chilham in Kent was used for scenes of Highbury. ​The picnic scene was filmed in Surrey (however, not on Box Hill, but nearby Leigth Hill), as were scenes at Mr Knightley's Donwell Hall, which were shot at Loseley Park.  

In the 1996 film version of Emma staring Gwyneth Paltrow, scenes at Hatfield were filmed at Came House in Dorset. Although the house is not open to the public, you can visit Mapperton, near Bridport, which was used as the Westons' home, Randalls. And the Dorset village of Evershot, which featured as Highbury. 
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Crichel House in Dorset served as the exterior of Mr Knightly's Donwell Hall, while the interior dance scenes were shot at Claydon House in Buckinghamshire. 
Other locations included Syon House near London and Stafford House, near Dorchester, which is now home to Downton Abbey creator, Julian Fellowes.