Netflix series Bridgerton: all the best locations that are open to the public – from Bath to London and North Yorkshire
- Bath, in the west of England, which is known for its Georgian architecture, represents early 19th century London in the Netflix series
- All these period locations, many family-owned homes, are open to the public (Covid-19 permitting)
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Regency period drama must be shot on location in the English city of Bath. And so, in opulent new Netflix series Bridgerton (the name of a family, not a place), Bath’s picturesque Georgian architecture stands in for London in 1813.
All the exterior shots of “Mayfair” were actually filmed against the honey stone facades of Alfred, Bath and Great Pulteney streets, as well as Beauford Square and Royal Crescent.
Based on the popular romance novels by Julia Quinn, the television series centres around two high society families, the sophisticated Bridgertons and the gauche Featheringtons, as their daughters aim to find eligible husbands during the London social season.
Described as “Jane Austen meets Gossip Girl” – or, by TV reviewer Kristen Baldwin, as a “wonderful diversion for those who love Pride & Prejudice but wish it had more stairway sex” – the show is an over-the-top extravaganza of bright colours, sumptuous costumes and stunning locations.
As well as Bath, historic buildings around England, many designed by the nation’s first “starchitect”, Inigo Jones, were used as locations. The interiors are 50 per cent real, 50 per cent set design, Bridgerton ’s production designer, Will Hughes-Jones, tells me.
Some of the real-life locations are not open to the public, for instance that staircase. The coupling of anti-hero Simon, the Duke of Hastings, and Daphne Bridgerton was filmed in a private house on Queen Anne’s Gate in Westminster, London.