Diksha Sundriyal
The fourth season of Netflix’s ‘Bridgerton’ focuses on the love story of the free-spirited Bridgerton brother, Benedict. He had always been the unconventional one, and the season takes the same route as it explores his romance with Sophie Baek. With him being an aristocrat and her being a maid, their worlds don’t exactly collide enough for them to get to know each other and fall in love. They most likely would have parted ways if it weren’t for their time together in My Cottage, which is Benedict’s private residence, where they retire after a particularly stormy night. The location plays an important role in bringing them together. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Fictional My Cottage is Brought to Life by a Real Tudor Era House
My Cottage is a fictional location in ‘Bridgerton,’ referring to the country house owned by Benedict. To bring this critical location on the screen, the show’s creators turned towards Loseley Park in Guildford, England. The 16th-century Tudor manor was perfect for Benedict’s residence, which Sophie believes is too big to be a cottage, as it not only boasted a great building, but also presented the grounds and gardens to film other important scenes of the show. The location has previously appeared in Netflix’s ‘The Crown’ and ‘Rebecca,’ and also appears in ‘The Favourite.’ When it is not busy with filming a periodic drama, the building is sometimes open to visitors. It is also available to book as a wedding venue and has hosted several weddings over the years.
Because the scenes featuring My Cottage take place in the countryside, Sophie and Benedict are away from prying eyes, which gives them unfettered time together, during which they get to know each other even better. The actors, Luke Thompson and Yerin Ha, revealed that these days felt like filming for a short film where they were the only two actors. “It was just us two and then the housekeepers. It was magical, and [Yerin and I] were just getting to know each other as actors as well as the characters,” Thompson told Tudum. While it appears only in one episode of the first part, the location is integral in pushing Sophie and Benedict towards each other as they are freer in their actions and speech, and their feelings come to the surface with little to no supervision. It also leads to the steamy lake scene, which marks a pivotal moment in Sophie and Benedict’s story, making My Cottage a catalyst for their complex and swoon-worthy romance. By the time the duo has leave, the place has already left a mark on each, albeit in different manners that inform the differences between them.
Read More: Bridgerton: Is Adjoa Andoh’s Lady Danbury Leaving Bridgerton?
