Tag: Yorkshire

While we were staying in Hebden Bridge, we took a day trip to visit another West Yorkshire town made famous as being the location of Britain’s longest-running comedy programme and the longest running situation comedy in the world – “The Last of The Summer Wine“. There were 295 episodes and 31 series between 1973 and 2010, counting the pilot, all episodes of the series, specials, and two films. Actor Peter Sallis who played the character “Norman Clegg” was the only one to appear in every single episode.

I have watched all of the episodes and enjoyed the show. That was why I decided to visit Holmfirth on this trip.

** Remember… all images will open in a new window/tab and all are geotagged. **

Residences, 81 Huddersfield Road, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England UK

Overgrown Gate, Huddersfield Road, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England UK

Methodist Church Cemetery, Huddersfield Road, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England UK

Memorial & Plate, Town Gate, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England UK

Stone Memorial on Towngate This was erected in 1801 to commemorate the short peace called the Peace of Amiens. There is also a line showing the height of the flood caused by the bursting of the Bilberry Reservoir on Feb 5th, 1842, when 81 lives were lost.

Sid’s Cafe, Town Gate, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England UK

This cafe feature strongly right across the period of the programme

Steps Besides Sid’s Cafée Town Gate, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England UK

Nora Batty, Sid’s Cafe, Town Gate, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England UK

A regular character of the series for many years

Flagstone Steps, Town Gate, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England UK

Old Door, Town Gate, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England UK

Church Door, Holy Trinity Parish Church, Town Gate, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England UK

Shoulder of Mutton, Dunford Road, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England UK

John Booth the Licensee listed in the surviving Brewster Session Record of 1803 is the first known record relating to this inn, but there is opinion that it was established around 1788. The Shoulder of Mutton remains open to this day
and as such it is one of the longest running public houses in Holmfirth, apparently without any change of name in its history.

A ghost story associated with the Shoulder of Mutton dating from 1970 was first made public in 1984. It was then published by the History Press in 2012, in a book, A Review of Haunted Huddersfield, researched and written by Kai Roberts. Roberts listed this as the only pub in Holmfirth that had a ghost story. There had been reports of rattling door handles, sounds of footsteps in empty rooms, flickering lights, relocated furniture and a nasty smell in one room. Even more disturbing, a young child was seen communicating with someone unseen and
another child was mysteriously trapped in a wardrobe. When the pub sign got damaged it was thought it was time to call in a clairvoyant. She identified several ghosts: a little boy wanting a playmate, a mournful woman, a band of uniformed men in a bar and an old lady, dressed in black with a high-collared dress and smoking a clay joss.
In 1947 a tragic accident occurred outside the pub when the Bolsterstone Male Voice Choir was involved in a fatal bus crash. Perhaps the clairvoyant knew of this, as well as being aware of the pub being an inquest site for three bodies in 1852. She also believed a former landlady had been unhappy with alterations made to the pub, and it is known that there was a landlady here between 1880 and 1891. Whatever she claimed to know, she did carry out an exorcism and it seems the ghosts went away.

Last of the Summer Wine Tour Bus, Town Gate, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England UK

It’s well worth the ride.

Holmfirth, Holme Valley, West Yorkshire, England UK

Taken from inside the tour bus.

River Holme, Town Gate, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England UK

The river runs through the centre of the town..

The Elephant and Castle, Hollowgate, Holmfirth, West Yorkshhire, England UK

The original hostelry would have been a coaching inn dating back to the 18th century. Its name is attributed to the recognition of Queen Eleanor of Castile, the wife of King Edward I. The public house bearing the same name remains open today in a building dating from the 1820s.

Old Road Sign, Hollowgate, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England UK

The Wrinkled Stocking, Scarfold, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England UK

Now a tearoom, the unit was the home of Nora Batty in the series. Below her unit William “Compo” Simmonite. had his residence.

Historical Plaque for “Compo”, Scarfold, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England UK

Former Telephone Box, Cnr Huddersfield Road and Victoria Street, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England UK

St John’s Church, Upperthong Lane, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England UK

Grave Stones, St John’s Parish Church, St John’s Church, Upperthong Lane, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England UK

Graves of Bill Owen & Peter Sallis, St John’s Church, Upperthong Lane, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England UK

William John Owen Rowbotham, MBE (Bill Owen) (14 March 1914 – 12 July 1999)was an English actor and songwriter. He was the father of actor Tom Owen. He is best known for portraying Compo Simmonite in the Yorkshire-based BBC comedy series Last of the Summer Wine for over a quarter of a century.

Peter John Sallis OBE (1 February 1921 – 2 June 2017) was an English actor, known for his work on British television. He was the voice of Wallace in the Academy Award-winning Wallace and Gromit films and played Norman “Cleggy” Clegg in Last of the Summer Wine from its 1973 inception until the final episode in 2010, making him the only actor to appear in all 295 episodes.

After the day at Holmfirth, we returned to finish it off back at Hebden Bridge

Old Packhorse Bridge, Hebden Water, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, England UK

Park Setting, Old Gate, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, England UK

Hop, Skip & Juice, Old Gate, Old Gate, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, England UK

Another drink at Old Gate Pub

Old Packhorse Bridge, Hebden Water, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, England UK

The White Swan, Bridge Gate, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, England UK

Right at the end of The Packhorse Bridge

Bridge Gate, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, England UK

Empties, Shoulder of Mutton, Bridge Gate, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, England UK

Bridge Mill, St George’s Street, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, England UK