Bridgerton fans, this is your moment to live out your ultimate period drama fantasy.
With the newest series of our favourite regency romance finally on our screens, we’re deep in second brother, Benedict Bridgerton’s swoony, Cinderella-style love story – chock-full of steamy glances, secret identities and tons of yearning. In case you haven’t seen it, most of the romance so far plays out at what Benedict misleadingly refers to as his “cottage” (spoiler: it’s definitely not a cottage).
Instead, the “cottage” scenes are filmed at Loseley Park, a sprawling historic estate just outside Guilford, less than an hour from London and the best part? You can actually visit it yourself. Wander the grounds, explore the rooms, and soak up the same storybook setting seen on screen. In other words: it’s very much time for your Bridgerton cosplay era to begin.
The real history behind Loseley Park
Ok so, not exactly regency era – Loseley Park actually dates back to the Tudor period between 1562 and 1569. The estate has been a private family home for over 400 years, which gives it a unique charm: every day belongings sit side-by-side with very real pieces of history, that includes George IV’s coronation chair, panels painted for Henry VIII’s banqueting tents and one of the only 22 surviving portraits of Anne Boleyn. Oh and that doesn’t even cover the estate’s previous royal visitors – Queen Elizabeth I visited the home a number of times during her reign and knighted the estate owner Sir William More on the grounds.
What you can do there
Beyond just an excuse to get out of bustling London, there’s lots to do at Loseley Park. You can visit for the day and stroll through the multiple gardens,visit the on site café, shop for produce at the estate’s farm shop, book tours of the house, or even stay overnight in one of 1-2 bedroom cottages on its ground which can be booked by the day or week and make a full countryside break of it. The estate also hosts seasonal events – including special Christmas tours — and can be privately hired for weddings, parties, and celebrations if you’re feeling particularly regal.
Where else Loseley Park Has Been Seen
If you’re a lover of period dramas (and have a sharp eye for stately homes), you might already recognise Loseley Park from a whole host of on-screen experiences long before Bridgerton. Loseley Park has been used as the backdrop for Sense & Sensibility (2008), Emma (2009) and ITV’s Belgravia (2016).
Getting to Loseley Park from London
Loseley Park is just a 50–60 minute drive from London. Prefer public transport? Take a South Western Railway train from London Waterloo station to Guildford, then catch a short taxi or local bus ride straight to the estate.