Discover Bridget’s Britain
The top filming spots for Bridget Jones
She’s back! Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is in cinemas this month and our favourite hapless heroine is once again marching the streets of London and beyond, in the form of Renee Zellweger. This time she’s a widowed mum of two, dating younger lover Roxter (Leo Woodall).
I reckon it should be called Bridget Jones: Mad About Britain, as she’s a one-woman advertising campaign for some of the country’s top spots, such as the Cotswolds, where her parents’ lived, Borough Market, where you can find her old flat, and Hampstead, where you’ll discover her new house. Here’s a guide to Bridget’s Britain:
London
Borough
The exterior of Bridget’s flat was in Borough Market, above The Globe Tavern. You can actually eat in it, as it’s now Thai restaurant Khao Bird. In the new movie, Bridget walks past her old apartment, on a date. Daniel Cleaver’s flat was just around the corner, on Clink St, in Pickfords Wharf.
Hampstead
In the latest movie, however, Bridget has moved to North London and is in upmarket Hampstead. Filming was spotted in Haverstock Hill, not far from author Helen Fielding’s own house. Bridget is seen taking in the view on Parliament Hill and gets stuck in a tree on Hampstead Heath, where she has to be rescued by Roxster. The cobbled street, Flask Walk, was used for lots of scenes, including a Christmas market, and a date at La Cage Imaginaire.
Chelsea
In the new movie, Bridget meets Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) in The Pig’s Ear pub, in Chelsea.
Richmond
The upcoming film also includes a scene at Petersham Nurseries, Richmond, where Roxster dives into a pool to rescue a chihuahua and emerges with a wet shirt, in a nod to Colin Firth’s Mr Darcy.
Cotswolds
Back to the original movie and we’re off to the Cotswolds, which was home to Bridget’s parents. They lived in the picturesque village of Snowshill, which basically looks like a film set all the time.
The Lake District
The new movie also takes the action to The Lake District, where Bridget’s kid’s class goes on a school trip. Filming took place at Derwentwater, which would be familiar to Renee, as she filmed 2006’s Miss Potter there, in the location so beloved by Beatrix Potter.
Buckinghamshire
In the original movie, Bridget went on an unforgettable mini-break with naughty Daniel Cleaver, to the grand Stoke Park hotel in Buckinghamshire. Surrounded by 300 acres, the Grade 1 listed 18th century mansion is currently undergoing a huge redevelopment program. The golf course has reopened. For more information, visit stokepark.com