Bridgerton's Bath

Dearest gentle readers, as the next chapter of the Bridgerton tale prepares to unfurl, we take you to the city where it all began: Bath. In all its gorgeous Georgian glory, it’s home to many a film set. In fact, behind only London, it’s the most filmed city in the UK – perhaps unsurprising giving the romantic Regency-era architecture, the perfect backdrop for one of Netflix’s most viewed shows.

You will likely be well acquainted with the curvature of the Royal Crescent (a scene we’ll return to, no doubt) and the vapour of the ancient Roman baths. But we take you down the cobbled streets to the lesser-known nooks and crannies, which reveal a quieter and more intimate side of the city. Places that, upon discovery, look vaguely familiar, where you wouldn’t realise you’ve visited before via the big screen.

On Location

Beginning with the first building of the city’s most iconic landmark feels as good a place to start as any. Especially given last season (season 3) was dedicated to the tale of Penelope Featherington, for which No. 1 Royal Crescent served as the exterior of her family home. In all three of the past seasons, you’ll see Penelope, her scheming mother and comical sisters coming in and out of the Georgian townhouse.

Although filmed in Bath, “The Ton” is actually meant to be the London of yesteryear. Abbey Green, in the heart of the city, doubles as Covent Garden, where the dreamy Duke of Hastings drunkenly stumbles through after drowning his sorrows.  It’s also home to La Modiste, the dressmaker’s shop, where all the society ladies go to get fitted with the latest fashion, in between gossiping about who could possibly be the Lady Whistledown.

Just beyond, the palatial Holburne Museum looms at the end of Great Putney Street. An abode befitting the status of its Bridgerton resident, Lady Danbury. As the puppet master of all society, it’s here that many of the opulent balls are staged, all for the amusement of Queen Charlotte. Who, coincidentally, was a real monarch and visited Bath in 1817. Her portrait now hangs in the Holburne Museum as a regal reminder of a city shaped by serendipity.

Where to Stay

There is arguably no place more iconic to stay than in the crescent itself, the obvious choice being The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa. On entry, you’re immediately met in the small reception area and if you’re lucky, the lovely general manager, Lorraine Jarvie. In homage to the heritage of the building, the hotel has retained many of its classic features – antique Georgian cartoons framed in the bathrooms, a verdant English garden pruned with the same precision as Wimbledon’s centre court and even the pool and spa are in a former chapel. But it has done so in a manner that dispels stuffiness. The deliberately design-forward interiors breathe life into Royal Crescent’s period features. Checkerboard tiled floors are, for example, paired with hand-painted wallpapers and the Montagu Mews dining room, where you can enjoy a locally sourced tasting menu, is bright pink from floor to ceiling.

There are 45 rooms and suites to choose from, each uniquely decorated. The Deluxe Suites, fit with garden or lawn views, are particularly impressive. After a day strolling the city, these rooms are set up for relaxation, be it in the private living room or the enormous – and I mean truly enormous – bed. I chose the latter and was enveloped by the mattress that’s as wide as it’s long, the feather pillows and the 1 million tog duvet.

Beyond the Screen

While undeniably shaped by its past, Bath today is a modern metropolis encased in its historical walls. There’s a palpable undercurrent of newness across the city thanks to a burgeoning food scene and a buzzy crop of bars. The surrounding countryside provides a bountiful selection of the best produce the Southwest has to offer. It would be rude not to sample it, so we recommend trying Upstairs at Landrace. A working mill, it has a fantastic selection of homemade pastas as well as a delicious rotation of Mediterranean dishes scribbled out on a giant chalkboard. Come back during the day to sample the criminally good cinnamon buns.

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Another option is the charming Beckford Canteen. As a converted greenhouse, the menu is bursting with fresh, garden-led cooking. A one-stop shop to get your 30 plants a day. The pear, chicory and stilton salad is fresh, sweet and salty in all the right ways and the lamb hotpot is a warming update on a countryside classic. Drinks-wise, the orange and cardamom martini can’t be missed, or you could head next door to the Beckford Bottle Shop for a relaxed glass of wine.

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For a more after-hours vibe, The Dark Horse delivers in spades. This subterranean candle-lit cocktail bar is a moody contradiction to the city above. From seasonal specials to greatest hits, the menu is both unsuspecting and definitely unbuttoned. I’ve never seen anything like the Scaramanga, a pink peppercorn-infused tequila with Somerset cider brandy, apricot liqueur and lemon, and the Infinite Daiquiri made with dealer’s choice rum and the Dark Horse’s “mother blend” means it’s one of a kind. The true meaning of secret sauce.