The North(ish) Lass

Explore the North.

Tag: visit yorkshire

  • Bridgerton Core: Northern Edition

    Bridgerton Core: Northern Edition

    If you’re one of the millions of people (40m+ at the time of writing) who has watched Bridgerton Season Four in the last few weeks, and fallen for deeply for the whole whimsy (and not altogether accurate) Regency vibe of the show, you might be looking for places to visit that match that vibe, and where you can imagine yourself as a star of the show. Here’s just a selection of places around the North that you can visit and pretend that you’re Violet about take tea (*wink*); that you’re Eloise with her nose in a book and scorning suitors; or that you’re one of the new season debutantes, looking to fall head-over-heels in love with an eligible suitor… just make sure you stay with your chaperone and don’t become the subject of this season’s scandal!

    Castle Howard, Yorkshire
    Castle Howard

    Castle Howard doesn’t just match Bridgerton vibes, it is Bridgerton vibes, as the location was used in Season One as a stand in for “Clyveden House” – the country residence of the Duke and Duchess of Hastings, played by Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dyvenor. The temple of the four winds in the grounds was used for a notably spicy scene in the pouring rain, whilst the library, the archbishop’s bedroom (pictured below), Turquoise Room, and Long Gallery were used for other scenes as the Duke and Duchess settle into married life.

    In one interview I’ve seen with Regé he makes a joke about how – when filming spicier scenes – there is what is known as a “closed set,” where those only essential for the scene to be filmed are allowed to be present. Essential cast and crew… and Fiona. Fiona being the luckless (or lucky?) house warden who had been assigned to make sure that the furniture was properly cared for, and things didn’t get out of hand. In the interview Regé laughs as he recalls how this poor embarrassed woman is stood there, looking out for this incredible eighteenth century bed, whilst he was romping about in his birthday suit! That would have been a rather strange day at the office!

    The house itself is a Baroque architectural masterpiece that took nearly a hundred years to complete. One can immediately imagine themselves as a Duke or Duchess, sweeping through the magnificently conserved hallways and receiving rooms, whilst planning the next ball that is to take place; one that will also show off the best of the collection, and centre the most stunning pieces. The collection itself at Castle Howard is incredible, with artists such as Canaletto, Titian, Thomas Gainsborough, Pannini, and Reynolds represented (along with many others).

    Address: Castle Howard Estate, York, YO60 7DA
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    Howick Hall, Northumberland
    Rear aspect of Howick Hall

    I visited Howick Hall and Gardens last year, and it’s an absolutely delightful location to sink into the Bridgerton mindset; reading books in the garden by the pond, and drinking cups of Earl Grey tea (the house was the former residence of Lord John Grey, for whom the blend was made specifically). I think Eloise would be extremely happy at Howick, away from the pressures of the Ton, and where she might be able to focus on her writing, or plotting how to avoid the marriage mart for yet another season. On the other hand, Hyacinth would feel that this was too far from the action!

    Whilst Howick is undoubtedly smaller than some of the more sprawling Baroque and Georgian palaces on this list, it is also very imaginably as one of the character’s country retreats; a place where they could find some peace and quiet after the madness of the social season. If not Eloise, I could imagine Sophie and Benedict finding much happiness at a place like Howick and, knowing Benedict, he would probably refer to it as “his cottage.”

    Address: Howick Hall & Gardens, Northumberland, NE66 3LB
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    LEvens Hall, Cumbria

    Whilst Levens Hall is actually late Elizabethan, and therefore far predates the time of Bridgerton, you could very easily imagine this Hall, and it’s magnificent topiary gardens, as a country house of a very old family of the ton, where they invite select friends and acquaintances to admire the beauty of the setting.

    The topiary gardens would be the centrepiece of a ball, with lights illuminating the pathways, and music leading guests to different aspects and viewpoints within the gardens – whilst always being wary of a unchaperoned debutante accidentally finding herself alone with a gentleman – how scandalous that would be!

    Address: Levens Hall, Kendal, Cumbria, LA8 0PD
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    HArewood House, Yorkshire
    Photo Credit – Olivia Brabbs and the Harewood House Trust

    Harewood House is one of the most gorgeous 18th Century houses in the country, and we’re lucky enough to have it here in the North. We can wander with wonder around the incredible halls, view the paintings by British and International masters, and imagine what it would be like to actually be in an episode of Bridgerton.

    Photo Credit – Tom Archer and the Harewood House Trust

    This is the gallery at Harewood House. Couldn’t you just imagine what it would be like to host a ball in this magnificent room? This room was one of the last to be finished in the 1790s (coincidentally closest to the Regency period of all the rooms at Harewood House). The room was furnished by Thomas Chippendale and Thomas Chippendale Junior, the much sought after furniture masters of eighteenth century England.

    “The room’s magnificent ceiling is today considered one of Robert Adam’s masterpieces, and is decorated with 16 paintings by the Italian interior painter Biagio Rebecca. They depict a pantheon of Roman gods and the four seasons.” – Harewood House Trust

    Address: Harewood House Trust, Harewood House, Harewood, Leeds LS17 9LG
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  • Yorkshire Stars in New “Wuthering Heights” Film

    Yorkshire Stars in New “Wuthering Heights” Film

    The rugged beauty of North Yorkshire took a firmly starring role in the latest adaptation of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, released Feb 13th this year, and the parts of the county are expecting to see a related tourism uptick, as visitors come to see the filming locations and to get a bit of that Cathy/Heathcliff vibe so wonderfully provided by the moody moors and dales highlighted in the film. The film was directed by Emerald Fennell (previously Saltburn, Promising Young Woman), and stars Jacob Elordie (Saltburn, Priscilla, Frankenstein, Euphoria), Margot Robbie (Wolf of Wall Street, Barbie), Martin Clunes, Hong Chau, and many others.

    The film crew relocated to the county in the early months of 2025 to do the location shooting, utilising several picturesque backdrops for various scenes, and also taking over Simonstone Hall Hotel near Hawes as a base for the cast and crew. The owner of the hotel, Jake Dinsdale, has noted that they have already seen an uptick in international visitors wanting to come and get a little taste of Wuthering Heights world.

    Simonstone Hall Hotel, Hawes
    from their “Press Images” album

    “Yesterday afternoon set in misty and cold. I had half a mind to spend it by my study fire, instead of wading through heath and mud to Wuthering Heights.” – Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë

    Whilst the original Brontë novel, and the subsequent Brontë country is centered on West Yorkshire; specifically an area near Bradford, and the village of Haworth where the Brontë sisters lived, it was North Yorkshire that predominantly shone in the latest film adaptation. The Yorkshire Dales National Park was utilised a lot for outside locations, when stars Robbie (Cathy) and Elordie (Heathcliff) ventured into the wilds for the more atmospheric shots, complete with moody mist and fine drizzle.

    Jamie Davies on Unsplash

    Picturesque Swaledale was used for key scenes in the movie, especially utilising the area around Langthwaite and the Old Gang Smelt Mill (now a ruin). The rugged industrial buildings, falling into desolation against the rugged and remote background, provided the ultimate mood setting for the action to take place against. Other locations used were the village of Low Row, Booze Moor, and Langthwaite.

    The Yorkshire Dales NP Senior Historic Advisor, Sarah Whiteley, consulted on the film and was on location for the days of shooting within the park. One thing she clarifies, however, is that whilst these locations are accessible, they are remote, on private land (with footpaths across) and in some of the higher moorland areas of the park. Therefore visitors should ensure that they are properly prepared for adverse weather conditions and properly equipped with walking gear before attempting to visit the locations. The landscapes and ruins are also of historical significance and should be treated with the respect deserved. As the saying goes “take only pictures, leave only footprints,” and ensure that these locations can be enjoyed by visitors for generations to come.

    “Yorkshire traffic jam”
    Illiya Vjestica on Unsplash

    Now, the director of this adaptation (Emerald Fennell) has been quick to point out that this film is not meant to be a faithful retelling of the Emily Brontë classic, and many book aficionados have been making lists of things that don’t match up between the one and the other. Fennell has said that the film is more about conveying the feeling and memory she got when she read Wuthering Heights for the first time as a teenager, hence the reason she chose to put the title “Wuthering Heights” in inverted commas. It’s meant to be a version, a different take, a slant. It was never meant to be a remake of what has come before. What we can all agree on, however, is her excellent choice in having Yorkshire take centre stage for some of the film’s pivotal moments, with the dramatic backdrops of the Dales adding beauty and emotion into the fabric of the film.

    Even if it isn’t the newest “Wuthering Heights” film that convinces you to head back to North Yorkshire (and to be honest, do we really need convincing?), the rugged beauty of the North Yorkshire Dales National Park is always waiting, whichever season you choose, with magnificent scenery and places to visit throughout the year.