Neflix has been back in Bath filming scenes for Persuasion starring Dakota Johnson as heroine Anne Elliot and directed by critically acclaimed theatre director Carrie Cracknell. Available to stream from 15 July 2022, the witty, modern update is based on Austen’s sixth book first published post her death in 1817. The book is actually set in Bath, making the city’s Georgian architecture and scenic surroundings the perfect backdrop for the film. Discover key filming locations based in the city, so you can keep an eye out for them on screen and visit in real life.
Bath Street
Bath Street features cobbled paving and striking lines of colonnades running down each side. At the bottom of Bath Street lies the Cross Baths and Thermae Bath Spa and this area is known as the Spa quarter of Bath where the water bubbles up from the springs at a temperature of 46 degrees. Unadorned by shop signs and capturing eighteenth century Bath perfectly, Bath Street lends itself well to filming.
Image: Bath Street
Hot Bath Street
Tucked behind the Cross Baths, Hot Bath Street a paved lane that weaves through to Lower Borough Walls. Underneath the street is one of the Sacred Springs which feeds the Cross Baths.
Royal Crescent
One of Bath’s most iconic landmarks makes for an impressive back drop for filming, so you will not miss it when it appears in Persuasion. The crescent – built between 1767 and 1775 - is arranged around a perfect lawn overlooking Royal Victoria Park and forms a sweeping crescent of 30 Grade I listed terraced houses.
Image: Royal Crescent, Bath
Brock Street
Brock street connects two of Bath’s most prominent pieces of architecture – The Royal Crescent and The Circus and is lined with elegant Georgian townhouses.
Gravel Walk
The Gravel Walk – on of the cities most famous walks in Bath built in 1771 is a wide gravel-covered walkway that links the Royal Crescent and the Circus with Queen Square which sits further down the hill. Known as a Lover’s Lane in Jane Austen’s era, the path was a route for sedan chairs heading to and from the town centre. Gravel Walk is the setting for a love scene between Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth in the novel Persuasion.
Explore More of Jane Austen’s Bath
If Persuasion leaves you eager to further explore the world of Austen and her Regency romances, Bath is a must visit and The Jane Austen Centre is the perfect starting point. The museum gives a snapshot of what life was like during the writer’s life, as well as exploring how the city impacted her work. Lovers of the 1996 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility will enjoy poring over a signed copy of Emma Thompson’s film script, as well as behind-the-scenes photos, her diaries from filming, and letters to the centre. Finish up with a traditional afternoon tea in the Regency Tea Room.
Jane Austen Centre and Jane Austen Online Gift Shop – JaneAusten.co.uk
Mingle with other Janeites at The Jane Austen Festival
The Jane Austen Festival in Bath is the largest and longest running Jane Austen Festival in the world. The first Jane Austen Festival in 2001 took place over a weekend at The Jane Austen Centre, Bath, and has since grown into a 10-day programme, drawing over 3500 people from around the world. The festival begins with a Regency Costumed Promenade, which has been filling the streets of Bath with people in Regency dress since 2004 and holds the Guinness World Record for the ‘Largest gathering of people dressed in Regency costumes. Full of bonnets, soldiers, and drummers the backdrop of Georgian Bath transports visitors back to the time of Jane Austen.
Image: The Jane Austen Festival
9–17 September 2022
Festival - Home Page – JaneAusten.co.uk
Austen Fridays at No.1 Royal Crescent
A new immersive experience looks at life in Regency Britain during the period spanning from the 1790s–1820, including when Austen was writing and living in Bath. Using the rooms of the house as inspiration, passages and conversations from Austen’s novels bring to life the activities that took place in such domestic spaces, as well as questioning the thoughts and feelings of the people who inhabited them.
Last Friday of every month until October 2022. £11 per adult, with concessions available.
'Jane Austen in Bath' - No.1 Royal Crescent (no1royalcrescent.org.uk)
Sydney Gardens – the refurbishment of Jane Austen’s much-loved gardens
Situated behind The Holburne park, Sydney Gardens is the oldest park in Bath. It was planned and laid out by the architect Harcourt Masters in 1795 and throughout the end of the eighteenth and into the nineteenth century it was the popular place to see and be seen by the fashionable visitors to Bath. Sydney Gardens was a favourite spot of Jane Austen who lived at number 4 Sydney Place, directly opposite. Recently the park has undergone an extensive landscaping project to rejuvenate the area. A new children’s play area, tennis courts and community pavilion has been included in the development along with many areas of wildflower planting.
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