A scandal worthy of Whistledown: Bridgerton and the RAF's final hours at Halton House
Hit period drama series Bridgerton has used the officers' mess at Halton House as the interior for the Bridgertons' family home for many years – but now no filming is taking place as it remains closed after more than a year.
BFBS Forces News understands that producers Netflix and Shondaland have been forced to find an alternative filming location after the closure of the RAF's Halton House.
The historic building was unexpectedly shut on the eve of filming their continuity shots for the upcoming Season 4 of the series, which hits our screens on 29 January.
We have obtained never-before-seen footage taken of Halton House, which shows it set up for filming Bridgerton, on the eve of the closure of the building.
This season hinges on scenes set at Halton House, which hosts the Bridgertons' masquerade ball. In the footage, the house is decorated with flowers that hang down the walls, forming part of the backdrop to the ball featured in the trailer for the new season.
The Grade II listed building has been home to RAF Halton's Officers' Mess since the end of the First World War. Personnel have told us they are "furious" about what's happened.
Change of venue
Although we know that Season 4 of Bridgerton features Halton House, it is almost certainly going to be for the last time.
Filming for Season 5 is rumoured to be starting in March this year; there's currently no timeline for what will happen with Halton House, or if it will ever reopen.
We've heard accounts from several personnel about the final hours of Halton House.
One agreed to speak to us on condition of anonymity because they said they've been told not to talk about this. They described the final hours before Halton House was shut.
They told us: "When it closed, Bridgerton still had outstanding filming to do, it was continuity filming... they'd already come in to set it up and they were not best pleased when they found out it was suddenly shut."
The MOD wouldn't comment on the impact the closure has had on the Bridgerton series, citing commercial confidentiality, but it revealed exclusively to BFBS Forces News that Halton House is now "surplus to operational requirements".
An MOD spokesperson told us: "Following a 2025 structural survey, Halton House remains closed to ensure the safety of our personnel while further structural assessments are conducted. Halton House is now surplus to operational requirements and will remain closed until an alternative occupier is found through the disposals process."
The house has been fenced off now for more than a year, and concerns have been raised by personnel that it has been "left to rot".
Our source said: "I'm told it's decaying rapidly, peeling paint everywhere, damp coming through the walls – the paintings are still on the walls, very valuable paintings.
"All this history is under threat.
"They've just put a fence around it. It's horrendous. We are worried it will degrade to a point where it's just not saveable.
"I almost think that's what they want. I think the fact that we're not allowed to talk about it is because the wider community doesn't even realise what's happened. They're trying to keep this quiet."
The MOD says: "We will, however, continue to fulfil our responsibilities, working closely with the local authority and Historic England to conduct repairs and keep Halton House maintained and secured for its protection.
"Defence remains committed to a phased closure of RAF Halton as a whole, with a final vacation date no earlier than 2030."
The producers of Bridgerton, both Netflix and Shondaland, have been contacted for comment, but neither has responded so far.
Halton House has also featured in Evita, The World is Not Enough and The Crown.
The house was completed in 1883 for the Rothschild family, before being purchased in April 1918 by the Air Ministry – the founding year of the Royal Air Force.
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