Bridgerton, a new period drama from Netflix, is released on Christmas Day and eagle-eyed viewers will notice some of the series was filmed at a stately home in Wiltshire.

Wilton House, near Salisbury, was used as one of the filming locations for Bridgerton.

Built on the site of a 9th-century former nunnery, Wilton House has stunning 17th century interiors, perfect as a backdrop for a period story.

In Bridgerton Wilton appears as Hastings House - the Duke of Hastings' London mansion.

Wilton House history

The actual Wilton estate has been the family seat of the Earl of Pembroke since the 1600s.

Before it was granted to the first Earl of Pembroke, William Herbert in 1542, the estate was known as Wilton Abbey and welcomed a Benedictine Covent.

This was first established in 802 by Saint Alburga with the permission of Egbert of Wessex.

Wilton House filming

Bridgerton is not the first production to choose Wilton as a filming location.

The estate has hosted a range of big budget projects in recent years.

Anya Taylor-Joy, who recently wowed Netflix audiences as the star of the Queen's Gambit, played Jane Austen's Emma in scenes shot at Wilton in 2019.

While in 2017 Alicia Vikander, as Lara Croft, shot scenes at Wilton for the latest cinematic version of Tomb Raider.

The Crown, another Netflix hit, has also used Wilton several times in 2015, 2016 and 2017, according to the estate's website.

Other famous productions to visit include The Young Victoria (2007), Johnny English Reborn (2011), Outlander (2016) and Pride & Prejudice (2004).

But for those of you who are wondering what Bridgerton - the latest series to visit - is about, here's all you need to know.

Bridgerton - the plot

The eight-part series follows young Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) – one of eight Bridgerton siblings – as she searches for a husband in Regency London.

The scandalous Netflix original is not traditional or conservative, as we might expect like in Pride and Prejudice - in fact the show has a distinct “swagger” and “style”, according to creator Chris Van Dusen.

There is also the sharp, snappy, fast-paced dialogue; and ballroom scenes soundtracked to classical reinterpretations of pop songs (including Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift).

The show has been produced by Shonda Rhimes’ Shondaland (the company behind Greys’ Anatomy, Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder).

Bridgerton cast

The new show boasts a seriously impressive cast.

The legendary Julie Andrews provides the voice of Lady Whistledown.

We have already mentioned Phoebe Dynevor, previously of Waterloo Road and The Village, who plays lead character Daphne. Fun fact - her mum, Sally Dynevor, plays Sally Webster in Coronation Street.

Elsewhere we have Regé-Jean Page (also Waterloo Road) as the Duke of Hastings, Jonathan Bailey (Broadchurch) as Anthony Bridgerton and Golda Rosheuvel (Luther) as Queen Charlotte.

There's also Nicola Coughlan, of Derry Girls fame, as Penelope Featherington - someone who is shy but catches the eye of another main character.

Other recognisable faces include Ben Miller (Death in Paradise) and Polly Walker (Line of Duty).

There's such a big cast, we've only scratched the surface with these famous names.

Bridgerton is inspired by a series of books

Julia Quinn has written more than 30 historical romance novels – twelve of which have been the Bridgerton series.

The first one was The Duke and I, which was published in 2000, and formed the basis for the adaptation by Van Dusen, who landed his first writing gig on Grey’s Anatomy.

The story explores female sexuality

Dynevor, 25, “knew that the women were going to be empowered and have agency” in Bridgerton because it was by Shondaland.

And we see Daphne’s sexual evolution as a young woman “in a time where she didn’t know anything about sex”.

Bridgerton filming locations

As well as Wilton, the Bridgerton cast and crew used other historic landmarks across the country to create its immersive world.

The Somerset city of Bath was used extensively, with well-known sights like the Royal Crescent, Abbey Green and Pulteney Bridge featuring in the drama.

A Georgian city like Bath allowed the production to shoot scenes outside, without too many things in the background looking out of place.

Other Bridgerton filming locations include Hatfield House, Hertfordshire, Painshill Park in Surrey and Castle Howard in Yorkshire .

Scenes also took place within the grand chambers of Lancaster House and The Reform Club in Pall Mall, London.