UK Castles we have known
The ever-so proper backdrops for Bridgerton’s lusty scenes are yours for the taking, writes Thomas Bywater
Bridgerton is back for a second series. A top-up of promenades and pecs, bodices and balls, by appointment of Shonda Rhimes. Netflix’s pop-colour adaptation of Julia Quinn’s novels has all the smooth-talking viscounts and coy countesses of a royal wedding but it’s the deliciously prim and proper country estates that have won our hearts.
We’ve been ogling some of the UK National Trust’s most lust-worthy Regency piles set to appear in the next series. Here are some of those houses, open to the public, that we’d “very much like to attend”.
Castle Howard, Yorkshire
The Grade I listed 1700s palace is the crown jewel of what conservation has called the Treasure Houses of England. There simply aren’t many houses as grand as these 145 rooms crowned by a central cupola. Film fans will recognise it instantly.
From Brideshead to Barry Lyndon, this Yorkshire stately home is a regular star of period romance, but has failed to be typecast. Its 3600ha of manicured parks and neoclassical stonework makes it the chameleon of costume-drama backdrop.
Among its other notable credits are two Bollywood films and a live-action animation of
Garfield the House Cat. A house with a repertoire this colourful is perfect for Bridgerton.
In the show — yet again — Castle Howard plays the backdrop to Simon and Daphne’s happily ever after address, appearing in the final frames of the series.
Wilton House, Salisbury
This boxy stately home is the face of Bridgerton. Appearing in every episode — and doubling up as a couple of other locations — Wilton House in Salisbury is instantly recognisable as home to the throne room of Queen Charlotte (of Marlborough Sounds fame). Netflix fans will recognise the entrance hall from a more contemporary bit of Royal teledrama, The Crown: When Charles met Diana. For 400 years, Wilton has been the home to the Earls of Pembroke. They’re still there, although two-thirds of the house is open to public access.
Badminton House, Gloucester
Chipping Sodbury, the Gloucester town near Badminton House, sounds like a character straight out of a costume drama. Before Bridgerton, Badminton had appeared little on film. However, it was used extensively through the Netflix series with its gardens and grounds filling in for Clyvedon Castle. The house is not normally open to the public — although private tours are available by arrangement. Once a year the grounds hold the Badminton Horse Trials — a sporting event befitting of the grand estate. Every May spectators and riders from around the world visit the famous crosscountry course. It also provides an unlikely Kiwi link, with New Zealand riders winning gold in four out of the past 10 events.
Holburne Museum and the Royal Crescent, Bath
Jane Austen’s regency bonnet-wearing stomping grounds: Bath is the backdrop for many UK costume dramas. The entire one-mile stroll between Holburne Museum and the Georgian Royal Crescent is made from honey-coloured Bath Stone and worth the promenade.
Holburne Museum is a public venue that doubles as the London townhouse of Lady Danbury. It is full of pieces that have inspired
TV costumiers and prop makers throughout the ages. What the Bridgerton cameras didn’t show you is the modernist, ceramic-clad gallery wing designed by Eric Parry — keeping visitors firmly in the 21st century.
On the other side of this cinematic stroll through Bath are the Bath Circus and Royal Crescent. A stand-in for the Grosvenor Square home of the three Featherington sisters, of course, it’s nowhere near London. Instantly recognisable, the World Heritage Property has the same Unesco designation as the Taj Mahal. But who can blame the location scouts? The horseshoe of 30 terraced houses is as irresistible as the smouldering Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings.
Stowe House, Buckinghamshire
The Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens of Bridgerton’s
Ball are none other than those of Stowe House. The Temple of Venus and man-made lake are the perfect setting for a glittering celebration in the TV series but the parks are just as beautiful by day. The storied Gardens of Love are the main attraction and — as with any good period romance — there is a choice to be made: the garden is divided in two between the Paths of Virtue and Vice. Designed in the 1700s by the appropriately named head gardener “Mr Love”, the follies and mock temples in the grounds allude to some seriously scandalous stories of classical seductresses and mythical naughtiness. A bathing Venus in marble, and various nymphs and shepherds are hidden around the gardens. Saucy stuff.
Operated by the National Trust, the house and gardens are open to the public with an admission fee. The surrounding park grounds have free access.
● The second season of Bridgerton is available on Netflix from Friday, March 25