Discover a real life Bridgerton amongst the best Regency towns in England and Wales…
Regency Towns in England and Wales
Regency Towns in England have a character all of their own. Following the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, England experienced a building boom. The country was gripped by the new fashion for spas and seaside and domestic tourism soared. A time of peace and prosperity called for a new style of architecture and this new style took its name from the Regency of George IV (which lasted from 1811-1820). However the regency era spans 1795 to 1837.
Regency buildings are classical in nature, based on the philosophy and designs of Greek and Roman architecture. The typical Regency house is built in brick and covered in stucco (usually white, cream or buff). Proportions are simple, relying on clean, classical lines with restrained ornament. Grander residences might include fluted columns and parapets. Continuing the Georgian style, windows are typically tall and thin with fan lights popular above doors. The period also saw the rise of curved bow windows, outside which might lie a delicate wrought iron balcony.
Where to find Regency Towns in the UK
The clearest examples of Regency towns in England are spa towns and seaside resorts. ‘Taking the waters’ was considered good for health and many towns benefitted from the trade. The popularity of towns like Brighton and Cheltenham meant building was on a scale large enough to give them a decidedly ‘Regency’ character. Whether in the form of grand detached villas or sweeping terraces, visit any Regency town in England and you will find a place of ‘refined elegance’, as if the year was still 1820.
Here are the best Regency Towns in England and Wales.
20 Regency Towns in England and Wales
- Cheltenham
- Brighton
- Bath
- Regent’s Park
- Clifton
- Leamington Spa
- Worthing
- Tunbridge Wells
- Lyme Regis
- Pimlico
- Grainger Town
- Sidmouth
- Hastings
- Scarborough
- Ramsgate
- Little Venice
- Torquay
- St Leonards-on-sea
- Tenby
- Aberaeron
Regency Towns in UK by Country
Regency Towns in England
1. Cheltenham
The spa resort of Cheltenham is one of the finest Regency towns in England. Located in northern Gloucestershire, Cheltenham’s origins stretch back to Anglo Saxon Britain. However, in the 18th century the town became celebrated as a health resort when salt deposits were discovered by a spring.
As Cheltenham’s waters grew in popularity, a number of new spas were created and building works soared. Many new buildings were erected in the Regency period, including the Royal Crescent, the Promenade and the Pittville Pump Room. Today, Cheltenham retains its regency glamour, with Montpellier especially being the most beautiful Regency area.
County: Gloucestershire
Train Station: Cheltenham Spa Train Station
2. Brighton
The seaside resort of Brighton is one of the most beautiful Regency towns in England. The resort has a long history and for hundreds of years was just a quiet market town. However, in the 18th century, the area began to change as rumours emerged that bathing in seawater was good for health.
At first, Brighton only attracted a small number of visitors but when the Prince Regent visited the town in 1783, the area soared in popularity. As the town boomed, new streets were laid with houses built in the emerging Regency style. Today Brighton is characterised by its rows of fine regency townhouses, covered in stucco with bow windows, greek columns and more.
County: East Sussex
Train Station: Brighton Train Station
3. Bath
The Georgian town of Bath is one of the UK’s most treasured places. Though many of its finest buildings pre-date the Regency, the city is a perfect example of what Regency society – or at least that presented in dramas like Bridgerton – was really like.
Bath has all the trappings of a Regency town in England including grand townhouses, a pump room and assembly rooms – where Regency folk would dance, drink tea, play cards and attend balls. Jane Austen herself lived in the city between 1801 and 1806 and it’s still possible to retrace her footsteps. After getting a feel for Regency life by wandering Bath’s streets, make sure to check out the Fashion Museum, where you peruse items of Regency dress.
County: Somerset
Train Station: Bath Spa Train Station
4. Regent’s Park
London has many Regency neighbourhoods, however the finest is Regent’s Park. Located north of Oxford Street, the neighbourhood of Regent’s Park clusters round the park which shares its name. Originally the idea of the Prince Regent himself, Regent’s Park and its surrounding houses were laid by the golden team of James Burton (proprietor), John Nash (architect) and Decimus Burton (urban designer).
Regent’s Park is characterised by its grand Regency townhouses, built in the neoclassical style and clad in bright white stucco. The terraced houses which line the area are sometimes called the ‘Nash Terraces’ and in conjunction with the detached villas in the park itself, form one of the finest examples of urban planning.
County: London
Train Station: Regent’s Park Tube Station
5. Clifton
The suburb of Clifton in Bristol is renowned for its Georgian and Regency houses. The area was originally a quiet place. However in the late 17th century, a spring was discovered and the area became a small spa resort. The spa did not last, however the seeds had been sown for Clifton to become a fashionable neighbourhood.
Throughout the late Georgian and Regency period, spectacular terraces sprung up. By the time George VI’s regency ended, Clifton had a large wealthy community living in grand Regency townhouses and villas. Today these grand edifices remain so you can explore this Regency town in all its glory. Expect fine stone townhouses with features including bow windows, iron balconies and external shutters.
County: Bristol
Train Station: Clifton Train Station
6. Leamington Spa
After Cheltenham, Leamington Spa is the finest Regency spa town in England. Although the presence of springs here have been known as far back as the middle ages, it took until the Regency era for the town to capitalise on them. In the early 19th century – when Prince George took over as Regent – plans were laid to create a bathing establishment on a scale never before seen.
The Royal Pump Room and Baths opened in 1814 and before long Regency society flocked here from all directions. Royal Leamington Spa was a premier spa resort throughout the regency era, illustrated by its fine townhouses, covered in stucco with porticos and high ceilings. Most of the town’s civic buildings date to this time, including the Parade, Regent Hotel, town hall and in Jephson Gardens. This means a visit to this town today provides a pretty authentic idea of what Regency life was like.
County: Warwickshire
Train Station: Leamington Spa Train Station
7. Worthing
Not far from Brighton lies the Regency town of Worthing. Considered to be the town on which Jane Austen’s final novel Sanditon was based, the Regency Worthing contains many gems from its days as a playground for London’s wealthy. Originally a fishing village, Worthing transformed in the late 18th century thanks to its ‘sea cures’.
Within a small amount of time grand residences sprung up, with fine Regency terraces like Park Crescent and detached villas like Beach House. A Theatre Royal, sumptuous hotels and a string of Royal visits ensured the town remained popular with Regency folk for decades. Today, though the town has had a poor record on conserving buildings, many Regency gems remain making it a must for lovers of Regency England.
County: West Sussex
Train Station: Worthing Train Station
8. Tunbridge Wells
Similar to Cheltenham, the recent history of Tunbridge Wells started with a spring. In the 17th century, a nobleman chanced upon the spring and after drinking its waters, claimed it had health-giving properties. Soon wells were dug and a spa town emerged. Throughout the Georgian era, Tunbridge Wells was a chief resort of high society.
Though its popularity waned a little during the early 19th century, Tunbridge Wells’ proximity to London and health-giving waters ensured it prospered as a Regency spa town. The success of Tunbridge Wells is illustrated by the fact Queen Victoria paid a visit in 1834. Visit Tunbridge Wells today and you will find a refined town with elegant Regency houses, covered in stucco with delicate iron balconies and architraving.
County: Kent
Train Station: Tunbridge wells Train Station
9. Lyme Regis
The seaside resort of Lyme Regis is a Regency town on a humbler scale to others on this list. Originally a port and shipbuilding centre, Lyme Regis became a health resort in the late 18th century. Regency heroine Jane Austen herself stayed here in 1804, and several scenes from ‘Persuasion’ and ‘Northanger Abbey’ are set here.
Lyme Regis’ Georgian and Regency architecture reflects its prosperity in the 18th century when bathing machines and Assembly Rooms drew genteel folk from London. Much of the Regency town remains, with houses clad in render featuring bow windows and characterful ornamentation. The best can be found along the seafront, while Belmont House provides a perfect example of a Regency villa.
County: Dorset
Train Station: Axminster Train Station
10. Pimlico
Nestled between Victoria Station to the north and the River Thames to the south, the residential area of Pimlico is one of London’s finest Regency neighbourhoods. The area, once fields, was built towards the end of the Regency era as a speculative development for London’s middle class.
The upwardly mobile came in their droves, attracted to Pimlico’s grand garden squares and stucco fronted Regency architecture. The architect of the scheme, Thomas Cubitt left behind no fewer than 350 Grade II listed buildings and his elegant Regency scheme remains largely intact. Visit Pimlico today and you’ll find classical Regency houses clad in stucco with proud porticos, pediments and wrought-iron railings.
County: London
Train Station: Pimlico Tube Station
11. Grainger Town
Like every UK city of national importance, Newcastle has changed a lot since its Regency days. However, the city still retains a good number of Regency and late-Georgian buildings, dating to its boom years in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. These are all centred in Grainger Town
Unlike other Regency towns on this list, Newcastle made its fame in heavy industry, rather than genteel spa baths or seashores. Prosperity meant affluent suburbs began to spring up, and many of Newcastle’s grandest public and private buildings date to the late Regency era. These include the stucco-fronted Leazes Terrace and Eldon Square, while the glorious Grey Street was built as the very cusp of the era in the classical style so admired by Regency folk.
County: Tyne & Wear
Train Station: Newcastle Train Station
12. Sidmouth
The seaside resort of Sidmouth is another fine Regency town in England. Located on the Jurassic Coast, Sidmouth started out as a village but transformed in the 19th century when coastal resorts grew in popularity. Like Brighton, the Prince Regent visited the town and his presence sparked other nobility and celebrities to flock to the area.
Within a relatively short period of time, Sidmouth became a Regency town, graced by fine stucco townhouses with bow windows and delicate wrought-iron balconies. Celebrities, royals and London glitterati all leisured here, including the infant Princess Victoria herself. The best thing about visiting Sidmouth today is that the Regency town remains so intact, as fine as it was in the 19th century.
County: Devon
Train Station: Honiton Train Station
13. Hastings
The popularity of Hastings as a Regency seaside resort is illustrated by the fact that its population increased three fold within the Regency era. Hastings has an ancient history, however in the late 18th century it became a fashionable summer resort for society’s wealthy, who came to bathe in its seawater for their health.
Walking round the town today it is not hard to understand why it was so desired by Regency folk with sandy beaches, crystal waters and a glorious parade (begun in 1797). Hastings seafront is graced by glorious Regency buildings situated on sweeping crescents, garden squares and grand esplanades. The finest are located on Pelham Crescent and Wellington Square, which sit handsomely beside their mid-Victorian neighbours.
County: Kent
Train Station: Hastings Train Station
14. Scarborough
The seaside resort of Scarborough is one of only two Regency towns in England located in the North. Though Scarborough’s origins pre-date the Norman conquest, it really came into its own in the 17th century when it became England’s first seaside resort.
Scarborough’s early development as a spa and coastal resort ensured it was firmly established when the Regency dawned. Many of Scarborough’s finest buildings date to the Regency era, including the Esplanade, Rotunda Museum, Scarborough Crescent and Scarborough Pier Lighthouse. Walk around the town today and there’s no mistaking its Regency past as the North East’s premier seaside resort.
County: East Riding
Train Station: Scarborough Train Station
15. Ramsgate
Despite having somewhat grown its 19th century footprint, Ramsgate remains a lovely Regency town at heart. Located on the tip of the Kent coast, Ramsgate for many years was just a fishing village until – like other Regency towns on this list – it was transformed into a Georgian seaside resort. Jane Austen herself, the writer charged with capturing the Regency era in her novels, visited the town in 1803.
Throughout the 19th century, Ramsgate was a naval harbour of some military and social consequence to contemporary society. Today, visit Ramsgate and you’ll find a Regency town with all the trappings of a genteel seaside resort, with a Royal Harbour, stunning marina and gorgeous regency buildings situated on crescents and garden squares.
County: Kent
Train Station: Ramsgate Train Station
16. Little Venice
Referred to as ‘a hidden gem of London’, Little Venice is a fine Regency neighbourhood located in London’s Maida Vale. The area came about by consequence of the completion of the Regent’s Canal in the early 1800s, which prompted speculative developers to capitalise on its leafy location.
The canal in Little Venice is lined with weeping willows and flanked by handsome Regency mansions, many of which were designed by John Nash (the architect behind Regent’s Park). By consequence, the area is defined by its Regency character, with white stucco-fronted buildings both terraced and in the form of villas. The best examples can be found on Blomfield Road, Warrington Crescent or Randolph Road..
County: London
Train Station: Warwick Avenue Tube Station
17. Torquay
The seaside town of Torquay is another resort frequented by Regency Society. During the early 1800s, the Napoleonic wars meant rich folk could no longer travel abroad for leisure. The mild winter climate and fresh air in Torquay offered a local holiday spot and the town became fashionable with high society.
During the early 19th century, Exclusive enclaves began to appear in Torquay with Regency villas strung along tree-clad hills. The finest is Hesketh Crescent which though completed in 1848 is most certainly built in the Regency fashion. Though the present town has much Victorian architecture, the Regency style is ever present among the the houses on ‘The Terrace’, Lisburne Terrace and Beacon Terrace.
County: Devon
Train Station: Torquay Train Station
18. St Leonards-on-Sea
Situated to the west of Hastings, lies the Regency town of St. Leonards-on-Sea. The town was conceived of by master architect James Buron who made his name developing large areas of Bloomsbury and the houses in Regent’s Park. The scheme started in the late regency era and included fine civic buildings for entertainment and leisure, while picturesque villas were strung along the promenade.
Visit St. Leonards-on-Sea today and you’ll be greeted by fine Regency buildings with handsome proportions and glorious views. Because the town was not a focus for development in the 20th century, St. Leonards-on-Sea retains its Regency character so well, looking just as fine as when it was visited by Princess Sophia in 1831.
County: East Sussex
Train Station: St Leonards Warrior Square Train Station
Regency Towns in Wales
19. Tenby
The origins of Tenby pre-date the Norman conquest, however the town – like many others on this list – took on a new direction at the turn of the 19th century. Like Torquay, the town was developed to attract holidaymakers cut off from Europe due to the Napoleonic wars. In 1802 a local resident, merchant banker and politician – Sir William Paxton – set his eye on transforming the town.
Sea-bathing baths came into operation in 1806 and soon Tenby became a health resort and hub for botanical research (Tenby even has its own daffodil). With two golden beaches and an elegant harbour, it’s not difficult to see its 19th century appeal. Visit Tenby today and you cannot but help smile at its Georgian and Regency houses, painted in all shades of the rainbow.
County: Pembrokeshire
Train Station: Tenby Train Station
20. Aberaeron
Nestled by the coast, Aberaeron is the premier Regency town in Wales. Unlike other locations on this list, the town was completely planned and built in 1805 – at the cusp of the Regency era. Aberaeron was not conceived of as a holiday resort but rather a working town with a port with a shipbuilding industry.
Aberaeron is distinctive as a Regency planned town, constructed around a central square with elegant Regency buildings huddled around the harbour. Many of the houses along the harbour were owned by the local sea captains with imposing facades. Walk around the town today and you cannot help but admire its fine Regency houses – rendered, painted in colour and standing proud since the day they were built.
County: Ceredigion
Train Station: Aberystwyth Train Station
20 Best Georgian Towns in England
If you want to explore some other towns in England with fine Georgian buildings, visit my post on the 20 Best Georgian Towns in England. Enjoy!