Primary school pupils took a leaf out of a well-loved English classic to name a new care home.
Year 2 students from St Johns School in Kingsmill Road picked Pemberley House as the new moniker for Gracewell Heathcare's upcoming development in Basingstoke.
The youngsters were inspired by Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice after hearing about the book's connection to the county.
Pemberley is the fictional country estate owned by Mr Darcy in Austen's 1831 novel.
The author spent her last eight years living in Chawton, near Alton.
Gracewell chief executive Tim Street said he chose the name because the descriptions of the house “match what the home is trying to achieve”.
He said: “When we went through all the names and did a literary review we found Pemberely was closest.
“The book describes the house as elegant and secure, which is what we are want.”
The company is set to start building a 72-bed private care home for patients needing assisted living on Grove Road.
On July 14, town mayor David Leeks announced the winners from a shortlist of seven.
Other suggestions put forward included Groveland Park, Walter De Merton, The Golden Oldies, Nightingale Place, Burberry House and Saxon House.
Natalie Cowie, a Year 2 teacher at the school, said the youngsters enjoyed the challenge of finding the name.
She said: “They loved the whole thing, they all got on board and rose to the challenge.”
Mr Street said the competition was a first step in getting the community on board with the project.
He said: “It is extremely important for us to forge close knit ties with the local community. We want to get schools involved in our residents' lives. That's the key. It will make everybody's life much better.”
Work on the new home is set to start in four weeks and building is expected to take a year.
