When it comes to filming a period drama, location is key.
Bridgerton is no different. Whether it’s finding the right place for a romantic tryst or the perfect drawing room for characters to scheme away in, the show’s location team have travelled all around the UK in search of Britain’s most appropriate stately homes and Georgian-era streets.
Even better, most of them are free for the general public to visit: with part two of season three out now, here’s our pick of the show’s most iconic sets.
Ranger’s House
Where is it? Greenwich
The elegant Ranger’s House serves as the London home for the Bridgerton family. Located west of Greenwich Park, it’s a Georgian mansion that these days functions as an art museum: the Wernher Collection of art is usually housed here. Pop along to see 700 works of art… and admire the lovely wisteria adorning the front of the building, of course.
Halton House
Where is it? Buckinghamshire
Given that Ranger’s House is now a museum, the interiors of the Bridgerton family house are actually shot in the Grade II-listed Halton House. Decorated in rather lovely shades of duck-egg blue, the building is now the main officers’ mess for the nearby RAF Halton. However, it was originally built in 1880 and has been used as a set for The Crown, The King’s Speech and Downton Abbey, among others.
Hatfield House
Where is it? Hertfordshire
The gorgeously stately Hatfield House is so nice it appears in Bridgerton several times. Built in 1611 by courtier Robert Cecil, it’s full of Jacobean decorations, but the green interiors make it the perfect place to film the Featherington family house – and, surprisingly, boxer Will Mondrich’s private gentleman’s club.
Hampton Court Palace
Where is it? East Moseley, London
The Tudor palace of Hampton Court is a study in red brick and immaculately coiffured gardens; as such, is it any surprise that it stands in for both Buckingham and St James Palace in Bridgerton’s season two?
Built as a pleasure palace for Henry VIII, it was extensively remodelled by William III and his wife Mary into a late-Georgian paradise. Eloise meets her love interest Theo Sharpe (Calam Lynch) here – it also serves as the set for the Chancery Lane Printing Press – Queen Charlotte goes for walks in the gardens, and it even makes an appearance as the location for Anthony and Edwina’s wedding reception.
Lancaster House
Where is it? Westminster, London
Located in the heart of London (very close to Buckingham Palace, in fact), Lancaster House was built by Frederick, Duke of York, son of George III in 1825. These days, it’s owned by the British government, who use it to host major events like the G7. Oh, and the government wine cellar is also located there.
In the show, it’s a far more glamorous setting: the place Queen Charlotte does most of her scheming. It comprises her parlour, drawing room, and even jewellery room, where he has a heart-to-heart with Edwina here in season two. Unsurprisingly, it’s also been used as a stand-in for Buckingham Palace in shows like The Crown.
Holburne Museum
Where is it? Bath
This Grade I-listed building is Bath’s first public art gallery, housing more than 10,000 objects, including works of art by Gainsborough and Stubbs. Oddly, the building itself used to be a hotel. It which was built in 1796 adjoining the Sydney Pleasure Gardens (the only one left in the country), and then turned into a lodging house, before finally becoming a museum in 1916.
In the world of Bridgerton, this is the London home of Lady Danbury, where the Sharma family live in season two under her financial wing. In the show, the house boasts some rather lovely dusky pink wallpaper, which was added on-set to complement the characters’ costumes.
No. 1 Royal Crescent
Where is it? Bath
Bath is the place to go for Georgian splendour, and the Royal Crescent is the most splendid example of all. These days, the grand No. 1 is a museum and (should any fans wish to stay over) a five-star hotel with an adjoining spa.
In Bridgerton, the distinctive crescent serves as the setting for the Featheringtons’ Grosvenor Square home. However, production designer Will Hughes-Jones told Elle that as the show’s star has risen, it’s become more difficult to film there.
“In season one no one knew who we were, and to be honest they were not interested. We were just an annoyance and a hassle, so it was very difficult to get anything done,” he said. “When it came to season two we actually avoided going to Bath as much as possible by building a lot of it in a studio, as it was cheaper and less hassle.”
Wilton House
Where is it? Wiltshire
The gorgeous countryside estate of Wilton House has appeared multiple times in Bridgerton. As the ancestral seat of the Earls of Pembroke (it still is, and has been in the family for 400 years), these days it’s both a family home and a museum that’s open to the public.
In season one, its gorgeous 17th century interiors served as the home for Regé-Jean Page’s Duke of Hastings, but its best-known room is the one in which the Queen receives her debutantes, and anoints the ‘Diamond of the Season’ in front of a hushed crowd of admirers.
