Fans have been counting down the days for this moment. On the 29th of January, Netflix released the first half of season 4 of the hugely popular romantic Regency-era drama, Bridgerton. The eight episodes will, like last season, be split into two parts, with the second premiering on the 26th of February.
Season 4 sees artistic second son Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) take the lead, based on author Julia Quinn’s third Bridgerton novel, An Offer from a Gentleman (2021). Usually reluctant to marry, he falls for Sophie Baek (Bridgerton’s new leading lady Yerin Ha) at Violet Bridgerton’s (Ruth Gemmell) masquerade ball.
The storyline is a twist on Cinderella, as Benedict only knows his love interest as the mysterious Lady in Silver, when in fact she snuck into the ball and is actually a maid working for her formidable stepmother Lady Araminta Gun (Katie Leung), another new character. With the reluctant help of his sister Eloise (Claudia Jessie), Benedict sets out in society to uncover the young lady’s identity.
As well as the romantic plots, the dreamy characters, the exquisite costumes, the opulent Regency set designs, and the drama, what makes the adaptation of Bridgerton such a success are the jaw-dropping locations used for filming, which include some of the UK’s most exceptional Georgian buildings, stately homes and country estates – Wilton House, Castle Howard, and The Holburne Museum to name a few. But where did the crew film for Season 4?
The show has become so high profile and popular in recent years that secrecy and security surrounding filming are exceptionally tight. But super fans have used their sleuthing skills (even trying to work out scenes by reading the books) to solve some of the possible locations, with social media sites rife with theories. Sneak peek clips released by Netflix have also given us a few clues…
Ham House and Garden, Richmond, London
Leaked photos posted online show what looks to be the filming of Benedict and Sophie during the masked ball in the garden of Ham House, in Richmond. While the ball has been filmed elsewhere, these exterior shots clearly show the grand exterior of the house. Is this where we witness the much-anticipated kiss?
Ham House is a National Trust property on the River Thames. What we see today is the creation of the Duchess of Lauderdale and her husband the late 17th century. The house was transferred to the care of the National Trust in 1948, which restored it to its original glory. It’s often used for period film and television shows.
The house is currently closed until mid-February but the gardens are open daily from 10am-5pm.
Loseley Park, Surrey
Flick through the carousel of images on a Tudum by Netflix story online about the new season of Bridgerton and the last image is of a country house with the caption ‘The set of Bridgerton Season 4’. This house is none other than Loseley Park near Guildford in Surrey, which will be a new location for the series. Fans also noticed glimpses of Loseley’s Great Hall in Netflix’s ‘Sneak Peek Featurette’ on Season 4 and believe it is the setting for Benedict’s cosy countryside escape, My Cottage.
Loseley is a private estate owned by the More-Molyneux family and the house is a fine example of Elizabethan architecture. Indeed, Queen Elizabeth I visited Loseley four times, and it contains one of only 22 known portraits of Anne Boleyn as well as George IV’s coronation chair.
Loseley House and Gardens are open to visitors from May to August. There are also events held at the property, including the Decorative Home & Salvage Show every summer.
loseleypark.co.uk; @loseley_park
Wrest Park, Bedfordshire
Fans spotted signs saying Wrest Park in Bedfordshire was closed for filming at the same time the series was scheduled to start shooting. It could have been for another production, but Wrest Park has featured in Bridgerton before, as parts of it are used as the fictional Aubrey Hall – the Bridgerton family’s country residence.
The gardens and orangery of Wrest are the most well-known Bridgerton settings, while the interior of the house was the home of the Fuller family in Season 3.
It's actually Wrotham Park in Hertfordshire that serves as the main estate for Aubrey Hall – plus its exteriors and gardens – and where crew were also probably filming for Season 4.
Wrest Park is an English Heritage property, and is open Wednesday-Sunday from 10am-4pm.
Ranger’s House, Greenwich, London
As soon as anyone spots the faux lilac-coloured wisteria being draped across the front of Ranger’s House in Blackheath, they know filming for Bridgerton is imminent. This property in southeast London is used as the now iconic façade of the Bridgerton family London residence. It’s here, behind the opulent iron gates, that many scenes take place. For Season 4, according to fans on Instagram, actors in full regalia were at Ranger’s House arriving for the masquerade ball in episode one.
Ranger’s House is portrayed as a cosmopolitan London home, but in reality the Georgian villa was built away from the bustle of the city on the edge of Greenwich Park. Originally designed for the admiralty in 1723, during its 300-year history the property has welcomed members of the royal family, aristocrats and politicians. At one point, in 1807, it belonged to Augusta, Duchess of Brunswick, the elder sister of George III, and was known as Brunswick House.
Its name today comes from its use as the official residence for the Rangers of Greenwich Park, an honorary position granted by the monarch. Augusta’s daughter Caroline was the first ‘Ranger’, followed by Princess Sophia Matilda, niece of George III. More rangers followed and the property was then used for various things in the 20th century, until the house passed from the Greater London Council into the care of English Heritage in 1986.
There has never been any real wisteria climbing across the front of the house – this was added by the Netflix crew. It’s also only the exterior of Ranger’s House that is used – the interiors of the Bridgerton family London home are shot at Halton House in the Chiltern Hills.
Ranger’s House is currently closed, but you can still visit the area to see its exterior. New tour dates of the house are also due to be announced.
Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, London
The Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich has been used for countless scenes across the Bridgerton seasons, not surprising as it is a magnificent setting of baroque buildings and grounds. And it seems the crew has returned to the UNESCO world heritage site for Season 4, as you can spy horse-drawn carriages in front ofits distinctive colonnades in a ‘Official Announcement’ teaser released by Netflix.
The grand symmetrical arrangement of courts, domes and colonnades are the work of Sir Christopher Wren, who was commissioned to design the Royal Hospital for Seamen on the site by Queen Mary II in 1696. It was a hospital until 1869, and became the Royal Naval College in 1873, being vacated by the Navy in 1997. The stunningly beautiful Chapel of St Peter & St Paul is also part of the college, and was the backdrop for the greatly anticipated wedding of Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) in Season 3.
You can visit the Old Royal Naval College, which has exhibitions and tours too. The Painted Hall, Chapel and Visitor Centre are open daily from 10am–5pm.
Hampton Court Palace, Surrey
In the Netflix ‘Sneak Peek Featurette’ of behind the scenes of Bridgerton Season 4, the recognisable façade of Hampton Court Palace can be seen. Once the seat of King Henry VIII, it is often used as a location for the show – in Season 3, characters can be seen walking through the palace’s Great Fountain Garden. Envisioned by William III and Mary II, this garden was the height of baroque fashion, matching the elegance of the new baroque part of the palace. Neatly trimmed yew trees line a pattern of gravel paths around the magnificent central fountain.
In Season 2, an area of the palace served as the outside of Chancery Lane Printing Press, where Eloise meets her new love interest, Theo Sharpe (Calam Lynch). It’s also the setting used for various Bridgerton gardens, including those of Buckingham House and Danbury House.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, a spin-off series released in 2023, was also filmed at Hampton Court Palace.
You can visit Hampton Court Palace from Wednesday-Sunday from 10am-4pm.
West Wycombe Park, Buckinghamshire
The gossip on social media sites like Reddit had fans-turned-sleuths suggesting they’d seen evidence of filming at West Wycombe Park (well, a sign saying the property was closed for filming in May). This may or may not have been for Bridgerton, but fans were convinced and are using the book to try to figure out what scenes it could be used for.
The property has already appeared in Bridgerton as it is used as some of the interiors of Aubrey Hall, such as Anthony Bridgerton’s (Jonathan Bailey) bedroom. It’s also the location for Colin Bridgerton’s (Luke Newton) visit to the Crane estate in Season 2, where Marina (Ruby Barker) now lives with her husband Phillip Crane (Christ Fulton). And the grounds of the country house serve as the scene of Anthony’s misadventure in a lake in Season 2.
Fans are expecting another tantalising lake scene for Season 4. There is a lake moment with Benedict and Sophie in the book, An Offer from a Gentleman, and fans have speculated as to whether the lake at West Wycombe would have been used for it.
A National Trust property, West Wycombe Park has been in the Dashwood family for over 300 years. The house we see today is the creation of the 2nd Baronet in the 18th century, and is frequently featured in screen adaptations of literary classics.
Now closed for the season, the property reopens on 1st of April and runs until the end of August.
Shepperton Studios, Surrey
Netflix has expanded its occupation of Shepperton Studios in Surrey and for Bridgerton has constructed a new two-acre set with replicas of Georgian and Regency architecture, including homes, buildings, and streets. The new set can be seen in Season 4 promotional images released by Netflix.
