Where to Get the Bridgerton Vibe in Cornwall
Photo courtesy of Liam Daniel/Netflix
Season three of Bridgerton is out, and we’re binging our way through every episode of our favourite period drama. While it’s set in Regency London, there are plenty of places in Cornwall where we like to emulate the lifestyle of Lord and Lady Bridgerton, with afternoon tea in stately homes, picnics in formal gardens and croquet on the lawn. Although we like to keep the scandalous storylines strictly on the screen.
From grand country houses to pretty parklands, here are some Bridgerton-esque locations where you can feel like an aristocrat for the afternoon in Cornwall.
Rosewarne House, Camborne
Photo courtesy of Rosewarne
Constructed around 1812, Rosewarne is a Grade II Regency period building that’s been meticulously renovated to its former glory by the Price family. Set amidst six acres of rolling lawns, ancient magnolias and beech trees close to the North Cliffs and Tehidy Woods, it’s long been a place for Bridgerton-esque socialites, hosting ballroom dances, brass bands and garden parties. Throw your own Regency-style celebration here, or play the part of Lord and Lady with High Tea or a picnic on the lawn.
Prideaux Place, Padstow
Image courtsey of Prideaux Place
On the doorstep of Harbour Holidays, the Elizabethan manor of Prideaux Place has been lived in by the Prideaux-Brune family for fourteen generations. No doubt Lord and Lady Bridgerton would fit right in here, with the regal interior, exquisite artworks and period architecture, all overlooking formal gardens and deer park on the edge of Padstow. The house is open from Easter to October, and you can adopt your own Bridgerton characters while enjoying a traditional Cornish cream tea on the terrace.
Lanhydrock, Bodmin
Photo courtesy of Hattie P/ National Trust
You can imagine arriving at impressive Lanhydrock country manor house by horse and carriage, trotting along Beech Avenue, through the archway and along the driveway. With extensive servants’ quarters, elegant living quarters, a church, gardens and wooded estate, it once belonged to one of the wealthiest men in the west, and has since been passed down through its own history of war, politics and scandal. Wander through the Long Gallery and formal gardens, and take afternoon tea in the Stables Café, but don’t dress up all Bridgerton-glam if you want to roam some of the 900 acres of woodland and hit the mountain biking trails.
Antony House, Torpoint
Antony House in Cornwall. Photo courtesy of the National Trust
Home to the Carew Pole family, Antony House is a superb early 18th-century mansion set in parkland and gardens, and could easily be the backdrop for a Bridgerton scene. You can imagine Lady Featherington wandering through the daylilies and topiary to the dovecote, or at home amidst the period furniture, textiles and tapestries inside. Having already featured in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, now it’s your turn to play a starring role with a twirl around the house and gardens, and cream tea in the Colonnade Café.
Pencarrow House and Gardens, Bodmin
Photo courtesy of Pencarrow
Drive down Pencarrow’s mile-long carriageway and through an Iron Age Hill Fort to reach this family estate and gardens where Lord and Lady Bridgerton would no doubt feel very much at home. Take a tour of the ostentatious interior, a fine display of the Molesworth’s family fortune, with its echoes of Greek and Roman temples, period features and ornate furnishings. In the grounds, you can meander around the fountain in the Italian Gardens, take tea on the lawn, spot peacocks amidst a dazzling display of camellias and rhododendrons, and find the grotto which is believed to have been a secret meeting place – the perfect spot for one of the Bridgerton clandestine affairs.
Trerice, Nr Newquay
Photo courtesy of the National Trust
While the Bridgerton cast play pall mall (a bit like croquet), in the grounds of this Elizabethan manor house, you can play historic Cornish garden games, including kayles (a variation of skittles) and slapcock (an early type of badminton). Or you might prefer to sit back and enter a different world of scandal and matchmaking with an outdoor theatre performance of Miracle Theatre’s Love Riot. Don’t forget to snoop inside Trerice too, where you can imagine feasts in the Great Hall, with its magnificent glass-tiled window.
The Headland, Newquay
Afternoon tea. Photo courtesy of the Headland Hotel
Be Bridgerton by the sea with a decadent afternoon tea at The Headland. Overlooking the Atlantic on the edge of Cornwall’s most popular surfing beach, this majestic hotel takes you back in time to where high society events were held in an opulent interior with a huge ballroom and lounges for breaking out to play chess and card games. Famously welcoming royalty and featuring in Roald Dahl’s The Witches, it’s already recognisable for starring parts on screen. Take a seat inside or outside at The Terrace, where you can sip from bone china, and tuck into scones and sandwiches, with a panoramic ocean view.
Book a Beach Break and Get the Bridgerton Vibe in Cornwall
Book one of our holiday cottages in North Cornwall; they’re the perfect hideaways to binge on the new season of Bridgerton between beach time and days out to iconic locations where you can step into the shoes of high society.