The river Wye runs through the Derbyshire town of Bakewell in England. Bakewell, known for its eponymous Bakewell Tart, provides a convenient hopping-off point for hikers looking to explore England's towering Peak District. [Photo by Alina Hartounian/Associated Press]

Snug in England's midsection, just under a 90-minute train ride away from London, sits the unassuming city of Derby (pronounced DAHR'-bee). It may lack the name recognition of other British tourist magnets (in fact, it only officially became a city in 1977), but Derby's past helped shape the modern world. Derbyshire－the county in which Derby sits－gave birth to the Industrial Revolution with the opening of its Silk Mill, the first modern factory. It thrived in the Age of Enlightenment and elements of its rich past have been carefully preserved in small museums, enormous stately homes and even centuries-old pubs.

Land of Pride and Prejudice

One of Derbyshire's most famous residents never actually existed. Mr. Darcy, of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, hailed from the county. Local lore says that Austen based Darcy's home of Pemberley on Chatsworth House, one of England's most lavish stately homes. Filmmakers have taken note, using Chatsworth as a backdrop for 2005's Pride and Prejudice, and the more recent BBC miniseries aired on PBS, Death Comes to Pemberley. Within its towering walls is an impressive art collection built up over five centuries by the family that still lives there and opens its doors to visitors. Equally breathtaking are the surrounding grounds, which include a 19th century gravity-powered fountain that can shoot a stream of water nearly as high as the Statue of Liberty (about 295 feet or 90 meters). Other highlights include a deceptively difficult hedge maze, a brass willow tree that spouts water from its branches, and hedges fashioned into furnishings from a home. Also worth some gawking is the Chatsworth Estate Farm Shop, which sells food produced on the house's sprawling estate.