Travel: Bath brims with elegant nods to Bridgerton

“Dear readers, this author is compelled to reveal the must-do of the season. Bath calls and there is much to be enjoyed.”

And so a new episode of hit Netflix period drama Bridgerton could very well begin.

The hit TV show, where regency, romance and scandal weave their way in and out of high society lives, returns for a third season this week, so what better time to take you on a journey to Bath, which is intricately intertwined with the period drama.

The real Bridgerton

The ancient city has had a starring role in Bridgerton since it began, with many of the city’s golden Georgian stone buildings standing in for the streets of regency London.

Abbey Green features in many of the shopping scenes, where market stalls were added to the pretty little square. It’s also home to The Abbey Deli which serves as the Modiste’s shop where the Bridgerton ladies have their dresses fitted and exchange gossip with Genevieve Delacroix. The interior of the café is also featured in the series, and you can buy Modiste souvenirs inside.

© COURTESY OF NETFLIX

A five-minute walk away, 12 Trim Street is a hairdresser and the location used as Gunter’s tea shop where Duke Simon Basset’s ravishing spoon-licking scene sees Daphne Bridgerton swoon. Elegant Royal Crescent was used widely as a backdrop, with its sweeping Georgian houses as imposing today as they were in the past. No 1 Royal Crescent provided the exterior of the Featheringtons’ London townhouse.

It’s now a museum and is beautifully furnished and decorated in Regency style, revealing what life was like for Bath’s most fashionable residents. Up the sweeping staircase, you’ll see bedrooms with gowns laid out for dinner, while the downstairs rooms are set for lavish entertaining.

Take a stroll to The Holburne Museum, home to the collection of arts of Sir William Holburne, and you’ll be transported to the outside of Lady Danbury’s grand mansion.

A city steeped in history

Following in the footsteps of the Bridgerton characters is one thing, but if you want to truly immerse yourself in Regency society, then there is much more to discover in Bath.

The Jane Austen Centre features costumed guides who tell the story of Jane’s life in Bath. There’s a lively little film about the Bath locations that feature in her books, writing desks with quill pens to write your own scandalous letters and dresses, bonnets, coats and accessories galore to dress up in for Bridgerton-style selfies.

Sally Lunn’s just round the corner from the Modiste shop location is a perfect stop for weary feet, serving Brioche-style bunns in an atmospheric eating house in the way they would have been in Georgian times.

If your appetite allows, order a trencher – a Regency favourite – topped with chicken and ham hock or steak and mushroom in English ale. Sweet-toothed? Then gossip by the bow windows that look over the street below over a cream tea or a bunn served with lashings of cinnamon butter.

The historic building is one of the oldest houses in Bath and has a kitchen museum below stairs showing the original bakehouse.

Where to stay

Stay at elegant Homewood just outside the city, an eclectic, luxurious and slightly eccentric Georgian country house hotel filled with antiques and modern indulgences including a spa and heated outdoor swimming pool.

You’ll feel part of a society house party from the moment you arrive in the elegant entrance hall where there’s a wall of ticking clocks.

Outside on the lawns there are soaring topiary animals and dining domes for all-weather entertaining. Inside, rows of chandeliers light up a private dining room, while the deep pink Valentines Bar has a very feminine feel.

Great food featuring British classics and Mediterranean-inspired dishes tempt from the menu of The Olio Restaurant where the walls are lined with contemporary floral art and blue and white china plates. The kitchen garden provides seasonal produce – just in the way it would have done when the house was privately owned.

Every indulgence is carefully considered here – right down to the umbrellas by the front door for taking a stroll outside in inclement weather. On the way out, there are jars of confectionary and little bags to take a treat or two with you.

Lady Danbury would, no doubt, approve.

P.S. For expert insight on every detail of Bath’s Bridgerton film sights, join a walking tour full of behind-the-scenes snippets about all the filming locations and life in Bath in Regency times. www.visitbath.co.uk

Factfile

Homewood offers stays from £195 per room per night based on double occupancy which includes breakfast and full use of the spa and outdoor heated pool. For an extra special treat, book a hot tub suite.