Forget Lady Whistledown. We’ve got the real scoop
Dearest reader, if, like me, you’ve been obsessed with Daphne, Penelope, Colin, and the high-society “Bridgerton” crowd, you’ll be happy to know you can visit many locations where the Netflix hit was filmed in Bath, England.
Although “Bridgerton” takes place in London, it was easier to film in Bath because the city is smaller and less expensive. Bath is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its signature Georgian architecture naturally encompasses the 18th-century era in which “Bridgerton” is set.
“Season 1 of ‘Bridgerton’ was the biggest production ever filmed here,” says Fred Mawer, a Blue Badge-qualified tour guide in Bath. “The show was filmed in 14 different locations, and the city’s wide pavements lent themselves to the characters’ endless promenading. Historically, it’s perfect for the story because Bath was attractive to the affluent and had a real social season during which balls took place, and making suitable marriage matches was a priority.”
I recently took one of Mawer’s popular “Bridgerton” walking tours and learned many fun facts about the show. He shared behind-the-scenes stories and made it easy to relive key moments from the show as I stood in the footsteps of my favorite characters. I highly recommend this tour and am now rewatching the series from the beginning with an insider’s eye.
Here are five of my favorite “Bridgerton” filming locations.
The Royal Crescent
No. 1 Royal Crescent is a stand-in for the Featheringtons in “Bridgerton” — Photo courtesy of Netflix
Bath’s iconic Royal Crescent architectural masterpiece is recognizable from the show’s opening scenes. It’s long been the city’s poshest address and makes a perfect stand-in for London’s Grosvenor Square in the show. It’s home to 30 terraced houses, the five-star Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, and No. 1 Royal Crescent, a restored townhouse preserved as a museum where you can see what society life was like in Bath in the 18th century. In the show, No. 1 Royal Crescent is the home of the Featheringtons, who live across from the Bridgertons.
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“The façade of No. 1 Royal Crescent looks different in ‘Bridgerton’ because they used CGI to lower the balustrade and add little triangular pediments over the windows with decorative swags in between,” says Mawer. “I reckon the set designers thought the house was too plain for the gaudy Featherington family, so they decided to jazz it up.”
Mawer points out a blooper in the first episode of Season 1: a yellow parking line in front of a section of the Royal Crescent. “You can see it as the horses and carriages are to-ing and fro-ing, and obviously, there were no parking lines there in the 1800s,” he laughs.
Bath Assembly Rooms
Many “Bridgerton” balls take place in the Tea Room of the Bath Assembly Rooms, a top filming location for the series — Photo courtesy of Netflix
Balls play a huge role in “Bridgerton,” and two of the most important were filmed in the Bath Assembly Rooms. During the Georgian era, public balls were for anyone who could afford to attend. “Think of them as a kind of a Georgian nightclub,” explains Mawer. “Of course, in ‘Bridgerton,’ the balls are private, and you would need an invitation from the likes of Queen Charlotte or Lady Danbury to attend.”
The Assembly Rooms, completed in 1771, are managed by the National Trust. You can book a guided tour to visit all four rooms, including the Tea Room, where both “Bridgerton” balls were filmed.
Among the most famous features of the Assembly Rooms are the nine crystal chandeliers, commissioned to add more opulence and let their fashionable attendees see and be seen in a flattering light. Because someone had to light dozens of candles on each one, the chandeliers were designed with a pulley system to make the task easier.
Trim Street
Top “Bridgerton” filming locations include everyday spots like a hair salon — Photo courtesy of Netflix
According to Mawer, the location used to film Gunter’s Tea Shop in Season 1 is now a hair salon: 12 Trim Street.
“They filmed both inside and outside, and they combined a nice bit of real history with the story,” he adds.
There really was a Gunter’s Tea Shop in London’s Berkeley Square during the Georgian era. Originally called the Pot and Pineapple (until renamed by owner James Gunter in 1799), it was where the aristocracy — or the “ton,” as they’re known in “Bridgerton” — would meet to enjoy the shop’s signature water ices.
Trim Street is also significant in Bath’s literary history because it’s where Jane Austen last lived before leaving the city in 1806.
Readers’ Choice Awards: Best Hotel Restaurant (2024)
Abbey Green
The Modiste dress shop is the Abbey Deli in real life — Photo courtesy of Visit Bath
The Abbey Green, a beautiful little square, was a prominent “Bridgerton” filming location for several scenes in the first season. It became London’s Covent Garden with wooden stalls filled with fake fruits and vegetables. The Colombian Company coffee shop became a pub called the Horse & Hop, where in Season 1, Episode 5, Simon gets drunk and ends up being kicked out onto the cobblestones. The Abbey Deli (a cafe called Pickled Greens at the time of filming) became Madame Delacroix’s Modiste dress shop, where the girls tried on ball gowns in a lovely paneled room at the back.
Abbey Green was only used for filming in Season 1. In subsequent seasons, the Modiste lived on a stage set. According to Mawer, the production company described the experience of filming in Abbey Green as the most challenging in Bath because of the contemporary cafes and shops in the area, as well as the pedestrian traffic and noise.
“My partner’s nephew worked on the filming in Season 1, and his job in Abbey Green was to pay the street musicians not to play,” he says. “The going rate was 50 pounds for every 45 minutes of not playing. That’s pretty good money for buzzing off and going in to have a cup of coffee and twiddle their thumbs.”
The Holburne Museum
The Holburne Museum transformed into Lady Danbury’s house — Photo courtesy of Netflix
The Holburne Museum, the city’s leading art gallery, was a stand-in for Lady Danbury’s house. It’s the only location in Bath used for all three seasons of “Bridgerton” as well as “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.” There’s even a portrait of the real Queen Charlotte in the museum, painted in 1766 by German-born artist Johan Zoffany. As Mawer points out, she’s white in the painting and, of course, a woman of color in the show. It’s a great conversation starter about the Queen’s possible African heritage in real life and the show’s diversity.
The exterior of The Holburne Museum is seen in many scenes, especially when guests arrive for the balls and are greeted by the footmen. You may recognize the exterior from one pivotal scene in the first episode of Season 3 when Penelope leaves the ball and is upset with Colin.
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Hotels in Bath, England
The gorgeous John Wood Suite at the Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa feels like you’re in “Bridgerton” — Photo courtesy of Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa
Come for the “Bridgerton” filming locations tour, but extend your trip a few days to experience the city’s vast literary and spa offerings. Here’s where to stay in Bath to feel as privileged as the Bridgertons themselves.
The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa
This beautiful five-star hotel stands in the middle of the Royal Crescent, the site of many “Bridgerton” scenes. Book the Bath on Screen package, which includes a private two-hour tour with Mawer. You’ll feel like you’re living in one of the show’s stately homes, with the addition of modern conveniences, of course. Opt for the John Wood Suite, with a four-poster bed, lovely damask wallpaper, and a cozy fireplace. The pool is breathtaking.
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The Bath Priory
Just a short stroll from the city center, The Bath Priory is so warm and welcoming that you’ll feel like you’re visiting the country estate of your best aristocratic friend. The 33 guest rooms of the Georgian house — most featuring views of the award-winning gardens — are individually decorated and homey. Relax with a drink in the inviting public spaces, experience treatment in the Garden Spa by L’Occitane, and enjoy dinner in the spectacular restaurant.
No. 15 by Guesthouse
This Georgian No. 15 by Guesthouse is located down the street from The Holburne Museum on one of Bath’s most famous streets. Filled with quirky art, a record player in each room, and a library of vinyl LPs, it’s the epitome of sophistication with a smile. The Pulteney Rooms are incredibly Instagrammable with high ceilings, shutters, and chandeliers.
There’s nothing stuffy about the grandeur, though: Each room has a dollhouse containing complimentary coffee and tea. Best of all, the pantry stocked with sweets and ice cream is open for guests to raid at no charge.