Where is The Great British Bake Off filmed? Location guide for Channel 4 show

By Radio Times Staff

Published: Tuesday, 13 September 2022 at 12:00 am

Craving a load of cake? Well, you’re in luck. The Great British Bake Off is finally back tonight for its 2022 season.

While fans weren’t sure if the show would be airing this week due to the recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II, Channel 4 confirmed this weekend that it will be broadcasting the wholesome baking show as planned from tonight onwards.

With a dozen bakers joining the Great British Bake Off 2022 line-up, we can’t wait to get to know these passionate pâtissiers, from 60-year-old IT manager Dawn to 18-year-old student Maisam – and while the contestants are brand new, the filming location is very familiar.

After two years in a COVID bubble at Down Hall, Bake Off has returned to one of its long-standing filming locations – but where is it?

Here’s everything you need to know about where The Great British Bake Off was filmed in 2022.

Where is The Great British Bake Off filmed?

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Group Photo of James, Sandro, Maxy, Kevin, Abdul, Carole, Maisam, Syabira, Rebs, Dawn, William and Janusz.
Channel 4

While during the pandemic, Bake Off was moved to the Down Hall Hotel in Bishop’s Stortford where filming took place in a COVID bubble, the location has now changed!

For GBBO’s 13th season, the show’s iconic tent was pitched in the grounds of Welford Park – a country house and estate in Berkshire.

The grand Georgian property served as the filming location for previous seasons of Bake Off, with Welford being the show’s main location from 2014 until 2019.

However, when the COVID pandemic hit more than two years ago, Bake Off was moved to Hatfield Heath’s Down Hall, with Love Productions’ creative director Kieran Smith revealing the behind-the-scenes changes they had to make to film the brand new series.

He joined forces with managing director Letty Kavanagh to hire a South-East hotel, which housed all cast and crew alongside 20 hotel staff members, 80 Love producers and around 20 “children, chaperones and dogwalkers,” according to Broadcast.

Each episode was filmed over the course of a weekend with the contestants arriving at 9am on a Saturday morning, and while they would usually return to their day jobs during the week, they had to isolate and live together for seven weeks due to COVID.

According to The Mirror, the 2022 season of Bake Off was not required to film in a COVID bubble like its two predecessors, however a spokesperson for the show told the publication that protocols were still “in place to keep everyone safe”.

Former Bake Off judge Mary Berry was said to be especially fond of the Welford gardens. While the contestants were stewing and sweating over their technical bakes, she is said have enjoyed deadheading the roses…

Prior to Welford Park, the show took place in various locations including Fulham Palace, London (season 1), Valentines Mansion, Redbridge (season 2) and Harptree Court, Somerset (seasons 3 and 4).

What’s the history of Welford Park?

Welford Park has been a long-established filming location for The Great British Bake Off, but the estate also has 400 years of history behind it.

Originally the site of a monastery, Welford Park became the deer-hunting lodge of Henry VIII and was later given to Sir Thomas Parry, the eventual Treasurer of Queen Elizabeth I’s household.

The manor has changed hands over the years, with the Archer and Houblon families inheriting the property in the 18th and 19th Centuries. Welford Park is currently owned by James Puxley – a Lord-Lieutenant of the Royal County of Berkshire.

The property also served as a recuperation home for distressed soldiers during World War I, with the bedrooms becoming hospital wards and dormitories for the nursing staff.

Since then, Welford Park has been used as a filming location for film, TV and photoshoot projects, with BBC, Love Productions and Channel 4 using the site.

The Great British Bake Off is on Channel 4 on Tuesdays at 8pm. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV guide or visit our Entertainment hub for the latest news.

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