Regency Revival: Britain’s Grandest Heritage Escapes

A great starting point for anyone contemplating a heritage escape is of course the beautiful city of Bath. Here The Royal Crescent Hotel and Spa pairs the elegance and style of the Regency period with restorative spa rituals and effortless ease, placing you inside a Grade I listed Georgian landmark, once home to George III’s son, the Duke of York. For those interested in Bridgerton filming locations in Britain, the iconic Royal Crescent itself features prominently as both the Featherington family home and surrounding street scenes.

In neighbouring Wiltshire, the landscape shifts to something more pastoral while Bishopstrow Hotel and Spa delivers the perfect balance of nineteenth century charm and present-day polish. Completed in 1821 to designs by Bath architect John Pinch the Elder, it is the sort of place where history sets the mood and the spa takes care of the rest. This characterful property is also perfectly sited for historic hotel breaks that can be combined with day trips, Longleat when you want a fun day out, Stonehenge when you want myth.

From here, the Cotswolds are within easy reach, offering a gentler change of pace, one that feels rather like swapping a ballroom for a garden party, all soft light and gentle spectacle.

For a true heritage hotels break consider The Painswick, where late eighteenth-century roots meet quiet, considered luxury in a honey-stone setting. The property began life as Prospect House, built in the late eighteenth century at the height of the Cotswolds wool trade, and today that sense of pedigree is matched by the kind of calm you can only find in the countryside.

Warwickshire is where the setting starts to look as though it was designed for flirtation: lawns, borders and pathways, where secrets could be exchanged behind a fan.

Mallory Court Country House Hotel and Spa combines classic English tradition and gardens made for lingering with thoughtful and attentive service. The Lutyens-style main house sits in 10 acres of grounds, so the “then” is all country house grace, while the “now” is the unhurried pleasure of staying put and letting the day unfold.

And when your plot demands a sharper pace, you can always sweep to the capital, because every good year needs a London season, and every heroine - or indeed hero - needs a base from which to be seen. The Athenaeum Hotel and Residences brings together Art Deco beauty and the ease of a Mayfair base. And what is 116 Piccadilly if not the kind of address the ton would approve of instantly, and for anyone plotting Regency travel in the UK in 2026, the ideal place to be seen before you disappear again.

Consider the north as the final stop, where the horizons widen and the whole experience starts to feel like the last, most satisfying chapter of a well-paced romance. Just outside the delightful cathedral city of Ripon, the Grade II listed Grantley Hall offers the full manor house flourish alongside today’s pleasures. Set beside the River Skell, the estate gives you the drama of arrival, then follows through with all the modern-day comforts that make a grand stay feel effortless.

For a second Yorkshire chapter, Middlethorpe Hall and Spa is an elegant retreat where heritage surroundings meet unhurried relaxation. Built in 1699 and set in 20 acres, it is also one of the National Trust’s Historic House Hotels, so your escape comes with the pleasing knowledge that you are helping to protect the past while enjoying the present. And if your route is guided by Bridgerton filming locations in Britain, the honeyed streets and gracious façades of nearby York deliver all the atmosphere you could possibly wish for.