The Bridgerton Connection to St. Bride’s
The connection of St. Bride’s Church and Bridgerton
Tucked amidst the tall buildings of Fleet Street in Central London is a unique church called St. Bride’s. The quirky building is well hidden from the bustle, and the only visitors are the ones who know it is there. With its tiered steeple that resembles a wedding cake, St. Bride’s is mentioned briefly in one of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton books, Romancing Mr. Bridgerton. This is where Colin Bridgerton discovers Penelope Featherington, the writer behind the Lady Whistledown scandal sheet. It is a scene that ultimately ends with an engagement.
St. Bride’s is one of Christopher Wren’s designs, but the church’s builders did not originally follow his plans. The interior, in particular, was modified during construction. In the 1700s, the iconic, wedding cake-looking steeple was struck by lightning and rebuilt shorter. During the steeple reconstruction, the real-life man behind King George III, seen in Bridgerton’s Queen Charlotte series, got involved with other English scientists in solving the problem of protecting the church from another strike. George consulted with the American Benjamin Franklin about installing a lightning rod. The two men engaged in a series of debates via newspapers over the design, with Benjamin Franklin favoring a pointed rod and King George representing the scientists who insisted a rounded ball-tipped rod was a better design. Time would prove that George was ultimately correct.
If a fan of Julia Quinn’s books or the Shondaland show Bridgerton wanted to see the church as Penelope and Colin saw it the day of the fateful carriage scene, they would be out of luck. The modified design of the church didn’t survive the 1940s firebombing of London. On December 29th, the church burned, another casualty of World War II. Today, St. Bride’s is built as Christopher Wren intended initially, and the architects faithfully bring his dream into reality. If a curious passerby wanted to see it, St. Bride’s is open to visitors, and the staff welcomes them, speaking of the church’s history with anyone who wants to learn more.
The St. Bride’s of 1815 survives in photo plates that I will include below, or if you want to see an excellent example of what it looked like, a visit to the chapel at the Old Royal Naval College will allow a fan to see what Penelope Featherington must have when she slipped an envelope behind a bible in a particular pew. That chapel is bigger than St. Bride’s but looks architecturally similar inside. Both buildings are the work of Christopher Wren, and the Chapel of Saint Peter & Saint Paul remains historically accurate. Bridgerton has used the Old Royal Naval College for locations and will appear in the upcoming Season Three of the show.
