The Bridgerton effect
THEY call it the Bridgerton effect. Fans of the Netflix period drama are searching for corsets and Empire dresses, antique furniture and colourful tea sets.The Regency romp has catapulted actors Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor to stardom, but viewers are also lusting over the properties.
These include stately homes such as Wilton House in Wiltshire, Badminton House in Gloucestershire and Castle Howard in North Yorkshire, although much of the filming took place in Bath.
Scenes filmed at Bath’s famous Royal Crescent – in particular outside No. 1 Royal Crescent – and the famous Assembly Rooms, have confirmed what any estate agent will tell you: Georgian properties simply never go out of fashion.
“Georgian homes have always been popular and Bridgerton has shone a light on them in a marvellous way,” explains Paul Cosgrove, director at west London estate agents Finlay Brewer (finlaybrewer.co.uk), who says high ceilings, large windows and well-balanced symmetry make them shine.
“What Bridgerton has done is bring a classical era into the modern age, which is what so many purchasers are looking for.”
Not only are they elegant but they are rare, says Paul: “Much of what people think are Georgian homes are in factVictorian, mimicking the Regency style.There are very few authentic homes available on the market, making them even rarer.”
Despite this, you can still see pockets of Georgian splendour all over Britain, from Glasgow and Edinburgh down through Liverpool, Chester and York to Oxford, London and Bristol in the south. But it’s Bath that stands out says Matthew Leonard, director of Bath’sWinkworth estate agents: “Georgian architecture plays a major part in Bath’s UnescoWorld Heritage status and is timeless in its grandeur and classical features.
“It has truly international appeal and is generally what people have in mind when looking to buy in Bath.”
FOR sale withWinkworth at £925,000 leasehold (01225 829000; winkworth.co.uk), is a grandly proportioned three-bedroom apartment across the first floor of two Georgian townhouses in Henrietta Street, within walking distance of Bath’s historic sites, shops and restaurants. Original features include tall sash windows and high ceilings.
The Bridgerton-fuelled interest in Georgian properties has also led to a surge in enquiries about Hope House in Bath, a collection of restored and refurbished listed Georgian buildings set in six acres, that not only offer authenticity but also good plumbing, according to developers Acorn. Remaining one, two and three-bedroom apartments near Bath’s Assembly Rooms are available from £295,000 (020 8341 2222; acornpropertygroup.org) with garden apartments and a penthouse to be released.
As well as handsome townhouses in the cities that rose to prominence during the Georgian era, from 1714 to 1837, roomy country houses are all over Britain.
Harpole Hall, for instance, is a classic Georgian country house in the village of Harpole, Northamptonshire, and has five bedrooms, two bathrooms and three reception rooms, with marble fireplaces, moulded plaster and window shutters.
For sale at £800,000 (01604 632991; Jackson-stops.co.uk), it needs updating but is a lovely family home, just five miles from Northampton.
“Buyers typically favour both the configuration and size of the rooms that Georgian homes provide, which are spacious without being unmanageable to heat and maintain,” says Brian Bishop, director of Jackson-Stops Taunton.
With a new Bridgerton series confirmed, fans are likely to fall in love with more exquisite property from all over the country.