As Bridgerton returns for a third series, we celebrate its return by taking a look at some of the many filming locations from season three, which you can visit this summer. From urban oases to grand country estates, these include some of the UK’s most iconic stately homes and gardens.
See how the wonderful world of Bridgerton is brought to life by visiting the real-life locations for the Regency romp. Each of these gardens has their own fascinating story to tell, and each offers a brilliant summer day out – so you can picnic or promenade in true Bridgerton-style.
More on Bridgerton:
- Bridgerton’s Lady Danbury (AKA Adjoa Andoh) talks gardening, growing and more
- Bridgerton’s Chelsea Garden – our essential preview
- 10 plants to get the Bridgerton look
Where is Bridgerton filmed? 11 filming locations to visit
Osterley Park
Taking a stroll around the beautiful Osterley Park is like stepping into a Jane Austen novel – but in Hounslow. It is a rare oasis of rolling parkland, with a glorious series of 18th Century formal gardens. This made it a natural place to shoot the ethereal ‘Full Moon Ball’ in the upcoming series. Garden highlights include a Tudor walled garden, the historic Garden House, and an ornamental vegetable garden, which plays creatively with a range of planting styles. Take a stroll around the gardens to imagine yourself in a different age, leaving the bustle of London far behind you.
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Painshill Park
Fans of Bridgerton will remember Painshill Park from series one. The sweeping valley, with its lakes, bridges and follies, provided the backdrop to the Featherington picnic. In this series, though, it serves as the setting for Lord Hawkins’ hot air balloon demonstration – a demonstration that sees Colin become the hero of the hour. This isn’t Painshill’s first starring role, it’s serpentine lake and landscaped hills have previously featured in ITV’s Vanity Fair. The Surrey garden was created as ‘a living work of art’, its winding paths guiding you through a classical landscape of temples, ruins, and grottos – a landscape inspired by the Grand Tour.
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Wrest Park
Wrest Park is another returning favourite, serving as the exterior for Rotten Row scenes. Rotten Row was part of Hyde Park in the Regency era, where debutants and dandies would go to promenade. Where better to do so than through 90 acres and three centuries of landscape design? The gardens combine Italianate parterres, French formal gardens and English landscaping with a grandeur more befitting of Versailles than rural Bedfordshire. Its elegant buildings, ornate fountains and blooming borders made Wrest Park an ideal location for filming.
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Kingston Bagpuize
With its Queen Anne exterior and lovingly cultivated gardens, Kingston Bagpuize House, has often served as a location for filming and photoshoots. This season sees Kingston Bagpuize make its Bridgerton debut, but it has previously served as a setting for the luxuriant 2020 adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma, as well as the ITV ratings hit, Downton Abbey. The gardens boast an impressive range of rare eye-catching plants, including the pink silk tree (Albizia julibrissin) and Virginian willow (Itea ilicifolia).
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Blenheim Palace
As the birthplace of Winston Churchill, and one of the most iconic facades in the country, Blenheim palace needs no introduction. That is why the Capability Brown estate has featured in everything from James Bond to Harry Potter. Having previously appeared in the Queen Charlotte, prequel, Blenheim Palace now makes its first Bridgerton appearance in season three. Locations Manager for the series Tony Hood explains that Blenheim was chosen for the ‘wow’ factor: ‘It just gives you the architectural gravitas of royalty. The history’s there …baked into the location’.
Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court was once the residence of Henry VIII. In the Bridger-verse, it is home to a similarly mercurial monarch – Queen Charlotte. Series three sees her host an opulent ball and a Greek myth ballet, a pivotal moment in the relationship between Colin and Penelope. As well as a wealth of history and some truly magnificent gardens, Hampton Court also offer a film and TV location tour.
Wilton
Wilton House, near Salisbury, has come to represent all things Queen Charlotte. It provides the presentation room where she keenly scrutinises the Ton’s new crop of debutantes. It is also where she hatches most of her plans with Lady Danbury. We spoke to Art Director Alison Gartshore, who told us ‘the interior is just spectacular, but the grounds are beautiful as well. And we often use their grounds for Rotten Row scenes’. The gardens include a Japanese Garden as well as an Italianate loggia. Summer highlights include colourful floral displays of cosmos and rudbeckia.
Basildon Park
Nestled among the gentle Surrey hills, the gardens at Basildon Park are a romantic idyll. These include a rose garden, pleasure grounds and an Italianate terrace. Visit to enjoy beautiful views and the sweet scent of roses which hangs like romance in the air. This season it serves as the residence of Lady Tilley Arnold – a new character for the Ton, and one who quickly attracts the attention of Benedict.
The Ranger’s House
Perhaps the most recognisable Bridgerton garden is at the Ranger’s House in Greenwich. Although the cascading wisteria blooms may be a bit of TV magic, there’s plenty to see in the elegant rose garden around the back. These include fantastic displays of tea roses and floribunda varieties, laid out in lush symmetrical borders.
Grimsthorpe Castle
Grimsthorpe Castle serves as the residence for the eccentric Lord Hawkins – a new character for the show. The formal gardens are full of impressive topiary, which provides structure to the space, with a dramatic herbaceous border framing views across the lake. There is an impressive adventure playground for the kids to let off steam, while the charming kitchen garden is a favourite for visitors to relax in sheltered tranquillity.
Holburne Museum
Viewers will recognise Holburne Museum as the home of Lady Danbury. The building was once the talk of the ton in Regency Bath, as it provided the gateway for the Sydney Pleasure Gardens, where crowds could picnic and promenade. Nowadays, it is home to an impressive collection of historic art, from Renaissance treasures to works by Gainsborough.
from BBC Gardeners World Magazine https://ift.tt/yHed1cx
