Picnicking with Emma on Leith Hill

If you've seen the new Emma film, you might remember the Box Hill scene, where the dull picnic ends in a fiasco with Emma insulting Miss Bates? Well, it turns out that the scene wasn't filmed on the actual Box Hill but rather on Leith Hill. The same scene in the 2009 Emma (with Romola Garai) was also filmed there. 

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Leith Hill is a hill situated not far from Box Hill, in the Surrey Hills, also known as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. In fact, at 294 meters above sea level, Leith Hill is the highest point in Surrey, and the views from its summit are no less spectacular than those from Box Hill. I enjoyed a picnic there with my family several weeks ago, and we enjoyed the sweat-inducing hike up the hill - the view from the top was definitely worth the hike. 

Like Box Hill, Leith Hill is maintained by the National Trust. At the summit, there is also Leith Hill Tower, an 18th Century tower built in the Gothic style. 

Under normal circumstances, you could climb up the tower and admire the views with a telescope, but the tower isn't open to visitors during Covid. 

Interestingly, Leith Hill was also the second home of composer Vaughan Williams, whose grandparents lived in Leith Hill Place, now a National Trust property. Some fascinating connections there, and I made it a point to visit the house when it reopens. 

Further reading: 

-For more about Leith Hill, you could read Tony Grant's detailed and informative blog on Leith Hill, the surrounding area and its literary connections. 

-Leith Hill is also mentioned in Quint, K. (2019) Jane Austen's England - A Travel Guide. ACC Art Books. (p. 165)