A Summer Wine Adventure in Holmfirth  Skip to Part three - click here Skip to Part Two - click here By Helen Jones

Editor's Note: We really appreciate this contribution from our latest American visitor to Holmfirth. Helen's "Adventure to Summer Wine Country" is full of interesting snippets, and will be of interest to local residents as well as visitors and tourists who are planning to explore Summer Wine country.  This feature was published in several parts, we now have pleasure in publishing the final part three. And thanks again Helen for taking the time and trouble to send the Summer Wine website such an interesting piece. Before her visit, Helen contacted Summer Wine Online and Holmfirth Web for help with planning and accommodation etc. As usual, we were delighted to recommend our advertisers. 

Wednesday, June 18, 2003

I left my friend's house in the village of Haxby in the morning, clutching a small piece of paper on which she had written notes for me: Blue Line Bus # 1 to York, get off at the train station, buy a ticket to Huddersfield, take bus to Holmfirth by scenic route if possible. I walked down the lane toward the bus stop and into my summer wine adventure.

The train station in York was easy to navigate, and I soon had my ticket in hand and was on the train. One hour to Huddersfield. York sped away and I was soon into the countryside filled green fields and clusters of red brick houses. As I moved farther west, past Leeds and Dewsbury, the view changed to brown brick houses clinging to hillsides and accessible only by winding roads. I also had my first glimpse of rolling hills stretching out into the distance.

When I arrived in Huddersfield, I walked to the bus station a few blocks away where local buses were arriving and departing constantly. I bought my ticket and went to Gate M adorned with a huge overhead sign that said "HOLMFIRTH." I sat down to wait, and "Edie Pegden" sat down next to me. Well, not really of course, but she was a dead ringer for Edie, bundled up in a thick coat buttoned to the collar, a felt hat pulled low over her face, and huge horn rimmed glasses encircling her eyes. She was about 80 yrs. old and laden with two stout shopping bags filled with purchases from her day in Huddersfield. She chattered to her friend on the other side of her, and I caught an intermittent "aye" and heard the broad vowels of the Yorkshire accent.

Bus #314 pulled in to the bay outside the door. I joined the queue, and quickly was aboard and bound for Holmfirth! We passed through one lovely village after another until finally, looming ahead, I saw dark sandstone buildings with narrow ginnels between them, and cobbled streets rising at amazing angles from the main road - Holmfirth. As we drove into the town center, there was the church, the ironmonger's shop, and the river wall. I got off at the tiny bus station and walked to the hotel to check in.

I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the town. First, I went to the Café - THE Café - with its white façade and green gingham curtains. Nearby was the long flight of steps that the trio walks up or down so often. Across the street was the Picturedrome Cinema, a red box-like building sometimes seen in the background on the show. I walked to Nora Batty's house a few blocks away, and at any minute, I expected to see her come out of that famous blue door with her brush or a basket of laundry. I wouldn't have been surprised to hear a grating squeak and to see Compo, with his mop of unruly hair and dressed in gray long johns, opening his window and calling to Nora.

I strolled in and out of a variety of interesting shops in town including a Cakery (not bakery) where the German owner regaled me with stories of his hometown. After dinner, I went to see a movie at the Picturedrome. At night, I went to bed thinking: I'm really in Holmfirth! I made it, from Baltimore, Maryland, 3000 miles away!

Thursday, June 19
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I began in earnest today trying to find out about summer wine filming sites. I knew that cast and crew had begun filming in the area, but exact filming locations are not publicized. As I would find out, it takes quite an effort to get this information!

I started the day at the Café with a cuppa at a little corner table. At any minute, I expected to see Clegg, Truly and Compo come in the door, go to the counter, and order three teas. Or maybe Clegg and Truly would just escape to a table while Compo banged on the counter yelling "Shop!"

Colin, the owner of the Café, also operates the summer wine bus tour. I bought a ticket for the morning tour, and with some time to spare, I went outside to explore the area around the Café. I walked up the long flight of steps next to the church and found myself on an old cobblestone path that spiraled upward, becoming increasingly steeper. Dark brown brick houses crowded together on the path, their facades adorned with pots and boxes of flowers and their windows hung with lace curtains. High above me, I could just barely see the tops of the houses originally used for Cleggy and Howard before they were "relocated by the council." I went back down the steps and walked around a few of the streets surrounding the Café, and was delighted to find the cobbled street that Compo, Clegg and Blamire walked down in the very first episode of the show. (New Fold Lane, Goose Green)

Back to the Café for the tour! I met Colin and told him that I was a member of the Sid-and-Ivy's-Café online fan group, which amused him greatly! I asked about filming sites, and he told me that they were filming today in Marsden at Auntie Wainwright's. However, he thought they would be in town over the weekend. My first clue. I settled into my seat on the bus and immediately met a man from West Virginia, about 100 miles from my home. He had been in London and was on his way to Paris, but stopped in Holmfirth on the way. London-Holmfirth-Paris - the new breed of cosmopolitan vacation!

Colin's bus tour was absolutely delightful. We passed Compo's betting parlor, and Nora's and Edie's houses. In Marsden, we passed the White Horse Pub and Cleggy and Howard's houses, little weavers cottages that reminded me of my house, built 85 years ago as housing for weavers working in a sailcloth mill. Colin maneuvered the bus over tiny, winding roads with ease while entertaining us with banter about the villages, the show and the cast. Throughout, we were surrounded by unending panoramas of green fields, white sheep, gray stone walls, and dark sandstone houses clinging to the hills as if magnetized. There were long expanses of emerald green slopes just perfect for skiing on trays or barrel rolling, and low stone walls lining the roads just perfect for leaning against or napping behind. A little lane that jutted out onto the road marked the spot where Howard and Marina rode their bikes during the faux bike race. A steep winding road with hairpin turns was the setting for Compo's ride in the runaway bathtub for Marina. And, every time I looked out over the hills, it was not hard to imagine Compo, Cleggy and their third man standing there admiring the view.

After the tour, I walked back to Nora's house where I saw workmen erecting a scaffold in the river in front of the house. Preparation for filming? An encouraging sign, I thought. I went to the Summer Wine Exhibition in Compo's house next door. This tiny museum is stuffed with props and memorabilia from the many years of Summer Wine: the trays used for skiing, Compo's submarine, the fat lady balloon, Foggy's two-way radios, the yellow pipes in which Compo and Clegg got stuck while trying to get fit, Compo's submarine, Nora's mangle. In another room: photographs of the cast members over the years and a continuously running video featuring clips from various shows and the anniversary specials. And, in the gift shop my next clue: the clerk told me that they were going to film at Nora's steps on Sunday. She had it on good authority because she had been asked to close the exhibition that day. I began to feel optimistic! On to the Wrinkled Stocking Café for tea and a vanilla slice (Howard and Marina's treat).

In the afternoon, feeling very ambitious, I hiked to the cemetery above town where Bill Owen is buried. As I walked up the steep roads, the hills spread out around me in breathtaking beauty. The church is near Upperthong, at the top of a very steep grade. I walked to the small cemetery behind it and there, at the end of a little stone path lined with lavender, were two markers: a formal black granite headstone for William Owen Rothbotham, and a smaller white marble marker for Bill Owen from his son and family. I paused here for a few minutes to pay my respects to Bill, and to thank him for the joy and laughter he gave to all summer wine fans by giving us Compo.

Going back to town was much easier because it was all downhill! Back to the hotel. On the telly tonight, a comedy called "Porridge" featuring a very young Brian Wilde. New to me - I've not seen it in the US.

Part Two 

Friday, June 20, 2003

I asked the clerk at the hotel about filming sites. She did not know the schedule, but she told me that Alan Bell might stay at the hotel over the weekend. Here was an opportunity, I thought. Being only slightly less timid than Cleggy, I decided not to try anything too brash. So, I wrote a note to Alan Bell, introducing myself and asking about filming locations for the next few days. I left the note with the clerk who promised to give it to him.

My plan for today was to walk as much as I could through the hills surrounding Holmfirth. I set off for Upperthong where I walked yesterday, and happened to pass a little china shop along the way. Some items in the window caught my eye and I went inside where I met the owner Jill. We talked for almost an hour about America, England, Holmfirth, and of course, Summer Wine. She told me most empathically that they would be filming at Nora’s on Sunday. My optimism grew. Before I left, she gave me a gift: a Summer Wine 25th anniversary commemorative plate for which she refused any payment. I tucked the plate away in my backpack and set off on my walk.

I headed out of town and walked past unending green fields filled with cows, sheep and horses. I passed Compo’s Café, turned around and headed back toward town. Then, I turned up Little Lane (see photo right) and went toward Upperthong again, this time walking farther than the church. On the way, I met a local man who walked along with me for a while. He had been shopping in the village and was carrying two full bags of groceries back to his home. He showed me a little quiet place along the road where I could sit on a bench and enjoy a sweeping panorama of the hills. I was rewarded with a stunning view over red tile rooftops of quilted green fields criss-crossed with stone walls and filled with fat white sheep, their bleating carrying through the air across the hills back to me.  I spent most of the day in these hills, not wanting to leave, soaking in as much of their beauty as possible.

Back in town, I went to the Post office to send postcards to my online friends at Sid-and-Ivy’s-Café online. Ice cream at Longley’s, then back to the hotel. In the evening, I watched East Enders, a soap opera on which I am now completely hooked. What will I do when I get home?

Saturday, June 21, 2003

I started the day by listening to three big stories on the BBC news: Prince William’s 21st birthday, the release of Harry Potter #5, and the mid-summer solstice event at Stonehenge attended by 30,000 Druids. A quirky mix, but maybe also an auspicious start to the day!

I set off from the hotel early in the morning armed with a shopping list and a list of summer wine sites that I wanted to photograph (thanks to the Summerwine Online website for the list of sites). My first stop was to be the Café, but I was diverted into Holmfirth Parish Church by a book sale. The church, whose stone façade is visible in many of the outdoor Café scenes, is a lovely little gem with its white walls trimmed with dusty blue, and the ceiling embossed with a white molded medallion overlaid with interlocking circles of gold ribbon. In a small alcove is the altar hung with a gold trimmed green cloth topped by a vase of pink carnations. Colorful stained glass windows line one wall, and marble memorial plaques line the other. Mahogany pews face squarely to the front, and are complemented by hand-made needlepoint kneeling pillows in a wide range of designs – flowers, crosses, fleur-de-lis, loaves and fishes, music symbols – in an incredible mix of colors – red, blue, yellow, white, purple, green, royal, crimson, salmon, gold, brown. Votive candles were on a stand at the front of the church, and the churchwarden on duty very kindly allowed me to light one in memory of my parents.

The churchwarden’s name was Carlton, and I soon found that he was a virtual encyclopedia of summer wine information. He told me about the memorial service for Bill Owen that was held at this church, and about the cast members he has met and the adventures he has had when scenes are filmed at the Café nearby. He introduced me to friends of his, Terry and Jean, who are ardent summer wine fans. We talked for almost an hour about the show, and about the gala to be held in the US in October. I was amazed that they knew so much about it. All three of them told me that filming would take place tomorrow at Nora’s steps. They sounded like they really knew, and I felt confident that I might actually see some of the filming. I left the church to begin my search for filming sites, and only later remembered the book sale that had taken me into the church in the first place!

First stop on my list of photo ops was the Café, then the long flight of steps. I climbed up the steps and went all the way to the former site of Cleggy’s house high above the town. The view into the town below was lovely from there. Next, I walked along Huddersfield Road heading out of town until I found the place along the river where the trio sat at a picnic table trying to help Compo find his Duffield. The table was gone, but I recognized the spot. Further along this road, I found the playing field where bicycle polo was played.

Back in town, I looked for Victoria Park. I asked directions in a little candy shop, and the woman pointed up – and I do mean up – the steepest hill I have ever seen. Almost bent double, up I went. In the park, I found the old abandoned building where Clegg, Compo and Blamire sat in an early episode to talk with a lollipop man and a friend who was moving to Australia (Who’s That Dancing with Nora Batty Then?). Nearby was the bench that the trio has sat on to console each other or rest or plot their next move. As I sat there, the colors of Holmfirth unfolded in the stunning view in front of me: brown, tan, beige, black, gray, slate, green, emerald, moss, gold, white. Tan sandstone houses with black slate roofs and white trimmed windows stood jumbled together, layered on the hills and connected by dark ribbons of narrow winding roads. Behind the houses, velvety green fields dotted with sheep rose to the blue sky. A church bell tolled and a cool breeze moved across the hill where I sat.

After lunch, I turned my attention to my shopping list and went to the Kirkwood Hospice Shop, the summer wine exhibit shop, and a great bookshop near Nora’s where I had a lovely chat with the owner.  I also stopped at Ashley Jackson’s Gallery and learned about his work from the artist himself.  Then back to the hotel to plan for tomorrow.


Part Three

Sunday, June 22, 2003  
Please click photo to enlarge

My last day in Holmfirth. It was now or (possibly) never to see some filming. I got up at 5 a.m. (according to my sources, filming could start as early as 7 a.m.). I checked my bags with the porter at the desk, and he told me that there was no filming being done today. I was crestfallen. And, my note for Mr. Bell was still at the desk. However, the porter said that he would give it to Claire, a crewmember who was staying at the hotel. I camped out on a chair in the lobby to wait for her. In a few minutes, she found me, introduced herself, and promised to give my note to Mr. Bell. She reassured me that they would be filming at Nora’s steps sometime today, but that they were at another location first.

About an hour later, another crewmember came into the hotel looking for me.  Alan Bell had received my note, and he wanted me to join him for the filming at Nora’s. As soon as I arrived, I was introduced to Alan Bell.  Someone in the crowd took a photo of us  - I felt like a celebrity! Alan welcomed me to the set and was most gracious and kind. Then, he was off to start the day’s work.

The person in the crowd who took my photo was another American fan who, along with her husband John, lives about 30 miles from me in Maryland! They had stopped in Holmfirth on their way to Manchester Airport for their flight home. The three of us stood along the wall across the river from Nora’s house to watch the filming.  We were not disappointed. There was Nora, resplendent in a nurse’s uniform, complete with dark blue dress, white apron, old-fashioned cap with huge “wings” on each side and a cape - a sort of terrifying Florence Nightingale!  In the scene, she went one-on-one with her neighbor Alvin, trying to convince him to make himself useful. The dialogue was vintage Nora, and everyone in the crowd loved it.

My new friends left for the airport after this scene, so I was surprised a few minutes later to hear someone call my name. It was a crewmember, sent by Alan Bell to ask if I wanted to watch the filming closer to the action. When I said yes, I never dreamed that I would be escorted to within feet of Nora’s steps – right under her steps, in fact – amid the cameras, lights and crew. I think my heart almost stopped. I realized immediately that this was an honor afforded very few people, and I knew how lucky I was. When I arrived, they were rehearsing the next scene. Nora was now in her familiar housedress, apron and thick stockings, with rollers in her hair and yard brush in her hands. This time, she was going after Alvin because of the noise he was making in his house. Later in the morning, Ivy joined Nora for a scene in which they discussed a metal “work of art” created by Alvin.

I sat along the river wall below Nora’s steps amid a web of thick black cables connected to lights and microphones and cameras. A small track had been laid on the walkway and on it was mounted a crane that held the camera and cameramen seated in swivels seats on a platform. Two other men pushed the crane along the tracks to get the camera in the right position. Another man controlled the up and down movement of the crane using weights. They all worked constantly to get the camera in just the right position as per Alan’s directions. All around me, huge lights were affixed to poles, and were raised or lowered by other crewmembers. A flatbed truck provided the platform for an enormous light across the river from Nora’s.

There seemed to be an unending number of people involved in the filming, all very active all the time. Assistants for Alan Bell helped set up scenes or kept notes on copies of the script. People with props rushed about supplying needed items and showing the actors how to use them. Each actor had an assistant who took care of him or her – one of Kathy Staff’s assistants held an umbrella over her head between scenes to shield her from the very hot sun. There were go-fers moving about everywhere.  Several people were in charge of crowd control, patrolling the perimeter to keep fans at the necessary distance from the action (except for me, of course!). There was even a nurse, although not in uniform like Nora!

It was fascinating to watch Alan Bell work with the actors. He first walked them through the scene, and then rehearsed with them over and over until the scene was technically correct. Crew used tape measures to measure the distance between actors and cameras; other crew marked the ground with chalk to designate specific spots where the actors should stand or move. All very planned, calculated, nothing left to chance. Once he was satisfied, Alan then filmed the scene, recording many takes until he was satisfied. Alan stood very close to the actors all the time. He did not need to do much coaching in how to deliver the lines – not with these wonderfully talented and thoroughly professional actors. Alan Bell was amazing, rehearsing, and filming the actors, all the while cognizant of the placement of lights and cameras and everything else, including a visitor from the U.S. He was very kind to me throughout my stay with the crew, and asked me several times if I was enjoying myself. I think my ear-to-ear smile answered his question! Alan introduced me to Kathy Staff and Brian Murphy, both of whom probably thought there was something the matter with me because I was too thrilled to even speak.

I sat on my chair at the river’s edge all morning, watching in fascination as summer wine scenes were created in front of me. At 1 p.m., the cast and crew broke for lunch. The actors were immediately whisked into waiting cars; the crew piled into vans. My time with them had officially ended.

I took my own break for lunch, and then returned to the set to watch the rest of the filming. I spent the afternoon with the delightful couple, Jean and Terry, whom I had met at the church on Saturday. Terry looks exactly like Howard, prompting many people in the crowd to take his picture! He smiled for the cameras, apparently very used to this. In the middle of the afternoon, snacks were delivered, and the crew offered some of us sandwiches because we had been there all day. I chose a cheese sandwich and immediately was reminded of the episode featuring Old Sylvester’s funeral (Phantom of the Graveyard) when Compo reminisced about his old teacher and said, “He gave me half his cheese sandwich once.” 

The filming “wrapped” at 5 p.m. Kathy Staff graciously agreed to pose for a photo with me. This was so kind of her, after a ten-hour day spent working in the sun. Once again, she and the other actors and crew were quickly driven from the site, leaving only the fans with their wonderful memories.

Quick good-byes to the friends I made on the set and especially the dear couple who were so nice to me. My Summer Wine adventure was now over, and I knew that I needed to get down to the business of making my way back to York and my friends who were waiting for me there. I checked out of the hotel and retraced the travel steps I had made fours days before: bus to Huddersfield, train to York. I arrived at my friend’s house at 8 p.m., exhausted but so full of wonderful memories that I talked with her and her husband about my adventure well into the night.

 And now, back in the US, I haven’t stopped talking about it yet. Thank you Holmfirth for your warm welcome. Thank you Summer Wine cast and crew, especially Alan Bell, for a day that I will long remember. And, a special thank you to the people of Holmfirth who were friendly, kind and generous, and who took me into their hearts and helped me turn my long-planned dream into a reality.

Helen Jones
Baltimore, Maryland
USA