Picture-perfect Bath is England’s most spectacular and best preserved Georgian city. A UNESCO World Heritage Site for good reason, Bath positively shimmers with old-world elegance, its honey-coloured buildings transporting you straight back to the golden-age of Regency era Britain. Famous as the recurring backdrop to Jane Austen’s biting satires of 18th-century high society, Bath has more recently starred on the small screen as the luminous stage for the Netflix hit show Bridgerton, a delightful romp detailing the scandals and petty intrigues of the powerful Bridgerton clan in early 18th-century London. Although ostensibly set in the English capital, Bath’s bona-fides as the Regency city par excellence makes it the perfect stand-in, and you’ll be sure to recognise many of the most important locations from the show on a visit to Bath.
To help you follow in the salacious footsteps of the Ton as they romance and gossip their way across town, in this week’s blog we’ve put together a list of some of the most important locations used for filming Bridgerton in Bath.
Royal Crescent
This elegant, sweeping terrace of honey coloured houses perched atop a daffodil strewn lawn is one of Bath’s most iconic sights. Built in the 18th century for the city’s upper classes to plans by architect John Wood the Younger, the 500 foot long crescent is considered one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture in Britain. Look out for the Palladian style entablature and ionic columns that divide the dwellings. The Royal Crescent is a regular backdrop in Bridgerton for establishing shots of the Ton’s well-heeled denizens lounging and promenading.
No. 1 Royal Crescent
One of Georgian Bath’s most exclusive addresses, 1 Royal Crescent doubles as the palatial London home of the Frwtherington family in the show. The exterior was glitzed up with some CGI embellishments including a balcony, fancy frieze and window surrounds, and the front door was painted a deep royal blue, but you’ll still immediately recognise the building. If you are visiting Bath then make sure to stop by 1 Royal Crescent; these days the address doubles as a house museum providing a unique insight into the high life of 18th century Bath, with spectacular period interiors.
Abbey Green
Fans of Bridgerton will immediately recognise the distinctive frontage of the Abbey Deli on Abbey Green as that of the Modiste Dress Shop, behind whose luminous bay windows the great and good of the show are measured for the fabulous dresses and gowns they wear to the Ton’s endless series of parties and balls. The chic boutique is run by the enigmatic (apparently) French dressmaker Madame Delacroix, who is privy to the gossip and goings-on of her well-heeled clients. Abbey Green itself is a picturesque little square with a distinctive tree not far from Bath’s magnificent Abbey.
The Assembly Rooms
After donning Lady Delacroix’s finery, the Bridgerton high society regularly decamp to elegant ballrooms to dance, flirt and chat. One of the regular locations for the Bridgerton balls is the Assembly Rooms in Bath, a stunning neo-classical concert venue built by architect John Wood the Elder in 1771 that quickly became the premier place to see and be seen in Regency-era Bath. The 30 metre long ballroom is the largest Georgian interior in the city, and played host to the most anticipated society events in Bath, at the time the United Kingdom’s most fashionable city. During the ‘season,’ which ran from October to June, two balls were held in the Assembly Rooms each week. You’ll be sure to recognise the Assembly Rooms’ beautiful chandeliers illuminating the Bridgerton balls in the show. Today the Assembly Rooms are owned by the National Trust.
Bath Street
Flanked on either side by beautiful colonnades of slender ionic columns, Bath Street is another of the city’s marvellous Georgian landmarks. The street takes its name from the two thermal spa baths that terminate the axis, the Thermae Bath Spa and the Cross Bath. The street features regularly in series one of Bridgerton.
Beauford Square
Beautiful Beauford Square is Georgian Bath at its finest, an elegant square featuring a series of two-storey townhouses surrounding a lawn protected by wrought-iron railings, built in 1730 to designs by architect John Strahan. The south side of the square originally formed the front of the Theatre Royal. The square’s postcard-worthy Georgian architecture means it features regularly in establishing shots of Regency London in Bridgerton. If you have some spare cash to hand, then it’s worth noting that the entire square has recently hit the open market for a cool £16.5 million pounds!
Trim Street
Tucked away at the end of little traversed dead-end Trim Street, you’ll find a hairdresser’s salon called 12 Trim Street. For Bridgerton aficionados, however, the curving, fan-light windows of the salon will immediately recall Gunter’s Tea Shop from the show, and for good reason - this is indeed the location used for the tea-rooms where Simon and Daphne first meet and inflame their passion in series one. This one isn’t all fiction however; Gunter’s was actually a famous tea house in Regency-era London, a Berkeley Square institution famed for its sweet treats.
The Holburne Museum
The stunning Holburne Museum is one of Bath’s cultural gems, and a must-visit in its own right on any visit to the city. Located in Thomas Baldwin and Charles Harcourt Masters’ spectacular late 18th-century building originally designed as the Sydney Hotel and located in the pleasure gardens of the same name, the museum houses Sir Thomas William Holburne’s extensive collections of old-master paintings, furniture, and artefacts, donated to the city by Holburne’s sister in 1882. In the 19th century the gardens were the site of three magnificent galas each year. The building’s magnificent facade, with its imposing classical pediment, will be immediately recognisable to Bridgerton fans as the home of Lady Danbury, as well as the site for the grand entrances to Bridgerton balls.
Through Eternity Tours offer private day-trips from London to Bath. Discover the magnificent sights of England’s finest Georgian city, from the incredible ancient Roman Baths to the Royal Crescent and more in the company of a local expert guide - follow the link below to find out more: Bath and Stonehenge Day Trip from London.
