by Christmas lights are streaming from every shop and dark street in the center of Holmfirth, a small West Yorkshire mill town best known as the site of The ultimate summer wine. You may not know the area, but you will know the show: it was the longest-running sitcom in the world, from 1973 to 2010.
But, 50 years after the program was broadcast for the first time, Holmfirth is making a name for himself once again – as a leader in the very serious effort of heritage conservation. The town’s 5,000 residents have been described as “inspired” after they came together to save Holmfirth’s historic buildings from decay and decay – and, in the process, revitalized the town’s economy.
“The town was down and out,” says Craig Broadwith of Historic England, which announced last month it was removing Holmfirth from its Heritage in Danger Register after 14 years. The program is an annual health check on England’s historic buildings and places. This year, 159 places were added and 203 were removed, including Holmfirth.
“There was an increase in the number of [commercial] vacancies, issues related to the quality of footpaths and roads, building neglect, and graffiti,” says Broadwith. “[Holmfirth] was a decline. What has been achieved is incredible. The town center has changed and house prices have risen.”
Among the buildings that were at risk were many familiar from The ultimate summer wine, although Compo, Foggy and Clegg would be left extremely disappointed by the manner in which they would be reformed. While the ranks of Nora and Sid’s Cafe remain, the town has gathered many new Airbnbs, fancy cocktail bars and co-working spaces. Old civic buildings were requisitioned as art spaces and educational hubs. Just outside the town, Holmfirth Vineyard has award-winning wines and the area now plays host to numerous festivals, from country music and film to food and drink, art and music.
The latest figures show that more than 700,000 people visited the town this year, an increase of 2.5 per cent year on year.
Steve Davie, 71, a retired vicar and chairman of Holmfirth Conservation Group, says it was the ignorance that Historic England was put on the “at risk” register in 2009 that encouraged local people; soon after, Holmfirth Conservation Group was born.
“I was inspired by the David Cameron era of volunteering in the third sector and local people coming together to do something,” he says. “The town was very concerned and rather than waiting for Kirklees council to do something about it, we rolled up our sleeves and did it ourselves. We created the Conservation Area Assessment as complete amateurs.”
The group surveyed every historic building and square meter of road and sidewalk, drew up a list of “at risk” buildings, and set about saving and restoring them.
The Tech was a post-primary school and adult education centre, which opened in 1894, and has been empty since 2014 when Kirklees council decided to sell it. “There was concern that it might be demolished,” says Chris Little, director of The Tech.
“We worked hard to get the building back,” explains Margaret Dale, 72, chair of the board at The Tech. “It was originally bought by subscription. The Victorians did a great job paying to build it [donations were also given by local gentry and mill owners] and we did exactly the same to buy it back.”
Dale was involved in setting up Holmfirth Tech Ltd, a community interest association, in 2018, and through grants, fundraising and the sale of shares, the building was acquired from the council. “There is a very strong collaborative ethos in Holmfirth,” she says. “Now The Tech is a resource for local people.” Classes are held in the building including dress making, banjo lessons, dance, pilates and yoga. There is also a community orchestra and choir.
When Barclays closed its last branch in the town, the bank was persuaded to rent rooms at The Tech to continue providing banking services. “They didn’t abandon us,” says Dale.
Opposite The Tech is another beautiful Victorian building, The Civic, formerly known as the Town Hall and Drill Hall. It was also once owned by Kirklees council, and is now run by Holmfirth Civic Hall Community Trust. Liz Annett, 40, manager of the centre, says: “We aim to hold various events for the community and raise money to keep the building open.” As well as a café run by volunteers, there are badminton, pilates and comedy nights.
“People think we’re a bit behind the times because they think we’re all fair caps and puppets but we’re surprised at how far people travel for the events. [we put on],” says Annett. “At least 20 per cent of departure tickets are for people traveling from places like Peterborough and Nottingham.”
Culture now seems to be the center of a town which first grew around corn mills, and then the cloth trade, the factories taking their power from the river Holme which runs through the valley. When The ultimate summer wine still being made, it was thought that the tourism the show would generate was enough to sustain the town when the mills closed. But after the show ended and visitor numbers dwindled, another income stream was needed.
Fortunately, there were some great buildings to reuse and local people seem determined to stop Holmfirth becoming a post-industrial cliché. Take, for example, the Picturedrome, which is in the center of town. It opened in 1913 as the Holme Valley Theatre, and is now owned by Peter Carr. He first laid eyes on the historic blue plaque center as a child in the 1960s when it was a cinema. When Wetherspoons showed interest 15 years ago, the town boomed. “I always wanted to do something with it,” says Carr. “We started putting on concerts and live music.” The 690-capacity venue was named NME’s Best Small Venue in 2014.
Another iconic building that was addressed was the old Lloyds Bank, which three months ago was restored as a Society, co-working and studio space on Victoria Street. “It’s a big, iconic building and everyone wanted to make sure it was put to good use,” says founder Zoe Piscitelli. “They didn’t want a chain or a big restaurant. Holmfirth is not about that. We like to keep things local.” Alongside the co-working space is a yoga studio and classes including live drawing, wine tasting and ceramic decorating.
Holmfirth is a small town but punches well above its weight. “We are like Monaco – we have so many in a small area,” says Piscitelli. “A lot of places are opening in Holmfirth. We’re bucking the trend because things are closing elsewhere.”
One of the things that makes the town stand out is the large number of independent shops. “Ninety-four percent of our businesses are independent,” says Dale. “Our vacancy rate has been consistently low for the past five years.”
What’s next for the town best known for a sitcom that ended 13 years ago and whose fans won’t be around forever? “We recognize that we need to move further The ultimate summer wine,” says Dale. “It’s an important part of our history but we want to move on.”
Laura Booth, 53, Sid’s Cafe, is an important place in The ultimate summer wine, for 17 years. “Our customers are 75 percent tourists,” says Booth. “Today we had a woman from Devon. She is a huge fan and wanted to celebrate her 80th birthday here. People come from all over the world, from Australia and Canada. They say, ‘It was my life’s ambition to come here.'”
Sid’s menu has changed slightly since Compo’s time, however, with vegan options alongside the famous scones, jam and clotted cream. But Booth worries about the future. “The ultimate summer wine is no longer in that prime time slot but is part of television history. Colin, the coach driver, said years ago, ‘Look how busy Haworth is and how long since the Brontë sisters died.’ I hope we can stay as long as they are.”
Craig Broadwith of Historic England says the people of Holmfirth are responsible for the town’s turnaround. “Community organizing is about bootstrapping that’s done without big pots of money and grants,” he says. “It’s very motivating.”
What advice does Holmfirth have for other towns keen to replicate his success story? “We’ve worked hard building relationships with each other,” says Dale. “We want to celebrate our heritage as we look towards our future.”
