07 Jun Bridgerton’s England
Gossip, scandal, wit and lots of bosom-heaving sex! Bridgerton has caused millions to flutter their lashes and swoon as it quickly soared its way into petticoats and hearts. Within the first 28 days of its release more than 82 million households had taken in the gloriously British romp, becoming Netflix’s most-watched show of time. Creator Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Scandal) cleverly matched colour-blind casting with sumptuously colourful costumes to explore the saucy lives of a Regency era aristocratic cast of characters that defied the traditional period drama model.
Oscar Wilde tour guide Dan Vo watched the series with his history house expert spectacles on and spotted some of his favourite historical places and breathtaking country homes serving as the backdrop of this vivacious reimaged England. For example In London, there’s Ranger’s House in Greenwich, serving as the home of Lady Bridgerton, her four sons (Anthony, Benedict, Colin, and Gregory), and her four daughters (Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, and Hyacinth) as well as the extravagant Syon House standing in for The Duke of Hastings’ home. Read on to discover the rich history each of these places has and their real-life significance in Regency times.
The production team also looked beyond the London area, to locations in and around the spa-city Bath, as well as a selection of famous sites across the shires (including Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Wiltshire, Yorkshire), regal houses that also have links up with The Crown, Downton Abbey, The King’s Speech! Here are some highlights that link Bridgerton to the real English Regency.
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The home of treasures and delights
Holbourne Museum Bath
The stately Holburne Museum located in the Sydney Pleasure Gardens in Bath is the suitable home to 10,000 treasures and artworks collected by Sir William Holbourne during and after the Regency period, an incredible collection of silverware, porcelain, books, furniture and extravagant knick knacks like portrait miniatures, snuff boxes and Roman glass. Plus among the grand paintings you’ll find works by Gainsborough, Stubbs and Zoffany. This museum took the limelight in the series as the home of the Danburys. Of course, as a Grade I listed building, nothing could be changed for the production, but as it was mostly used for exterior shots, the team obligingly worked around the collection and the building’s strict heritage guidelines. Signs for the museum could be taken down or covered up with the promise of everything being returned exactly as it was before. Staff at the museum who spied on the production between takes giggled and gossiped at the sight of actor Rege-Jean Page, who played the Duke of Hastings, furiously pacing the gardens to stay in character, while nearby Phoebe Dynevor, who played Daphne Bridgerton, nonchalantly reclined on a chair in full costume while scrolling her iPhone.
Show me the bling!
Ah, the glittering jewels and glamorous costumes! Award-winning Hollywood costume designer Ellen Miojnick was responsible for overseeing an impressive 5,000 looks for Bridgerton, including all the apparel, shoes, jewellery and intricate accessories. She decided to hint at Regency London, but took a more liberal approach to design and drew inspiration from various eras and styles, not restricting herself to historically accurate dresses. Indeed she confessed that her first port of call was to take a visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, which happens to be Vo’s museum homebase, to take in the Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams exhibition, to spark her imagination around silhouettes and shapes, fabrics and textures and of course about how to match jewelry with the costumes so as to amplify the effect of her outfits. One such stately princess gown from the
Galliano gown
Christian Dior exhibition that would have caught Miojnick’s eye was this gorgeous dress John Galliano haute couture masterpiece from Autumn/Winter 2004, which presented a heady display of color and outrageously flirted with the notion of royal spectacle.
Sky high production values
The Regency period saw great achievements in art and science. Hot air ballooning was an elite activity that became popular during the era, with one of the greatest challenges being flight across the English Channel, achieved by Jean-Pierre Blanchard and John Jeffries in the first year of the Regency,
RAF Halton
1785. In more modern times, RAF Halton is where the record-breaking Channel Challenge set off, with the goal of having dozens of colourful balloons, massed like giant gowns drifting across an azure sky (the last record was set with 75 balloons). The Buckinghamshire airbase is also where many of the interior scenes for Bridgertoon are shot, whether it’s a grand hall, stair, hallway, or even smoking room. Even the Duke of Hasting’s wedding reception was held there! The airbase has a rich history, as it has been operating since World War I and retains a royal association with its current honorary Air Commodore, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. It also has popular associations as a filming location for Downton Abbey and The King’s Speech. While no hot air balloons have yet been seen in Bridgerton, since it was an activity that delighted the upper classes of Regency England, your trusty guide Dan is taking bets now on whether an airborne scene will feature in the next season of Bridgerton!
Want to learn more? Catch Dan’s live virtual presentation on Bridgerton’s England on Saturday June 12, 2021!
