Manderley
Manderley is the fictional estate of the character Maxim de Winter, and it plays a central part in Daphne du Maurier's 1938 novel, Rebecca, and in the film adaptation by Alfred Hitchcock.[1]Located in Southern England (possibly in Cornwall, but this is never explicitly stated), where the author herself originated, Manderley is a typical country estate- it is filled with family heirlooms, is run by a large domestic staff and is open to the public on certain days. In spite of the house's beauty, the main character, the unnamed "I," who has become mistress of Manderley, senses an atmosphere of doom about it, due to the death of Max's first wife (the titular Rebecca), and it is hinted that she haunts the estate. Childhood visits to Milton Hall, Cambridgeshire home of the Fitzallan family, may have influenced the descriptions of Manderley.
In popular culture
- As a result of the novel's popularity, the name "Manderley" became extremely popular as a name for ordinary houses, and at one time was the most common house name in the UK. Notably, the Irish singer Enya renamed her Dublin castle Manderley Castle.
- Du Maurier's inspiration for the house was Menabilly, near Fowey in Cornwall. She leased the manor (1945-1967) from the Rashleigh family, who have owned it since the 16th century.