Badminton House

Summary

A Grade I listed Palladian country house in Badminton, Gloucestershire, principal seat of the Dukes of Beaufort since the late 17th century, with 52,000 acres of estate land, modified from around 1660 to 1750 using Francis Smith of Warwick, James Gibbs, and William Kent; home of the Badminton Horse Trials since 1949; used as a filming location for The Remains of the Day (1993), 28 Days Later (2002), Bridgerton (Netflix), Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (Netflix), and The Gentlemen (Netflix, 2024).

About this location

Badminton House stands in the village of Badminton in Gloucestershire, approximately 18 miles east of Bristol. It has been the principal seat of the Dukes of Beaufort since the late 17th century, when the Somerset family acquired the property and moved from Raglan Castle in Monmouthshire, which had been destroyed in the Civil War. The Beaufort title was granted to Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufort, in 1682.

The house was substantially rebuilt and enlarged over several phases. The 3rd Duke adapted and extended the earlier structure, creating a grand Jonesian centrepiece on the north front. For the 4th Duke, who succeeded in 1745, the architect William Kent renovated and extended the house in the Palladian style. Kent also designed Worcester Lodge at the north entrance to the park, dated 1746 — a monumental four-storey gateway with a dining room over the carriage arch and plaster ceilings depicting the four seasons, described by Historic England as very fine. James Gibbs designed the domed crowning pavilions on the flanking elevations. Two views of Badminton painted by Canaletto, commissioned by the 4th Duke, remain in the house.

The estate of 52,000 acres is among the largest in southern England. Whether or not the sport of badminton was invented at the house — the family tradition holds that the Duke’s children devised it during the winter of 1863 in the Great Hall, where the shuttlecock could not damage the portraits by John Wootton — the sport was popularised there and takes its name from the estate. Queen Mary stayed at Badminton House for much of the Second World War, occupying most of the building.

The Badminton Horse Trials, one of the world’s most prestigious three-day eventing competitions, have been held on the estate since 1949. Successive Dukes of Beaufort have also been Masters of the Beaufort Hunt.

The Remains of the Day (Columbia Pictures, 1993, directed by James Ivory, starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, adapted from Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel — the house appears as Darlington Hall). 28 Days Later (Fox Searchlight/DNA Films, 2002, directed by Danny Boyle, starring Cillian Murphy — filmed sequences on the Badminton estate). Bridgerton (Netflix, Shondaland, created by Chris Van Dusen) filmed at Badminton House for multiple episodes. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (Netflix, 2023, written by Shonda Rhimes, starring India Amarteifio) filmed at Badminton House. The Gentlemen (Netflix, 2024, written and directed by Guy Ritchie, starring Theo James as Eddie Horniman, the new Duke of Halstead — the estate and house appear throughout the series).