Changes I’ve noticed over the years when Grassington transforms into Darrowby during the filming of All Creatures Great & Small
- timbarber
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
Updated: 19 hours ago
Back in 2023, I wrote a blog about how the All Creatures Great and Small production team changes Grassington into a 1940’s Darrowby for the TV show about the Yorkshire vet James Herriot.
Over the years I have been lucky enough to witness bits of filming in the town, or visit when they are setting up or breaking down from filming. I thought I would share some of my photos of Darrowby and a few observations about new locations used for filming around Grassington and changes I have noticed.
Firstly a bit of history. Most of the buildings in Grassington are from the 1700’s, with one or two dating from the late 1600’s. In the late 1600’s Grassington was very much a farming town and the grazing of animals both cows and sheep would have been important to the town. The name Grassington dates back to Anglo Saxon times – roughly translating as settlement/farmstead surrounded by grass, so not a lot had changed in terms of the settlements main industry for over 1,000 years.
But in the 1700’s there was a huge influx of people, attracted by the opportunity to work in the local lead mines up on the Moors at Yarnbury just above Grassington. This drove the need for more accommodation, shops and pubs. It is these stone built buildings we still see mostly today.
Jacqueline Smith, the Production Designer for All Creatures explained “The nice thing about Grassington was that there weren’t any modern houses in the town centre, so we don’t have to change anything completely”.
Now, we have reached season 7 of the show, the production team are like a well-oiled machine and the transformation from the touristy Dales town to 1940’s Darrowby happens remarkably quickly. The first signs are when they start to paint the shops.
For instance, The Stripey Badger bookstore which plays GF Endleby’s grocers is changed from its normal light blue into darker distressed dark blue. The Hutch gift shop gets a makeover from its usual pale lime colour to a bright yellow in readiness for it transforming in to Higgins Bakers. I think all the shops are quite happy as after filming is over they get a new paint job each year to return it to its original colour scheme, which must save them a few quid.
Since 2023, I have noticed that rather than just concentrating on the market square in front of Skeldale House and The Drovers Arms, filming has expanded to use other locations in the town.
Originally filming was pretty much from the Grassington town sign onwards, but in season 6 a few scenes were shot just below this spot. What is now a Tapas Restaurant called Plaza Uno became a shop selling prams, the Yorkshire Dales Ice Cream parlour became a butchers and Helen was often seen with her recognisable red coat pushing a pram nearby.
Another building opposite these was used for both exterior and interior filming. This was Church House, once an old farmhouse with the date 1694 carved on the stone lintel above the door, but which later was bought by the church for meetings and re-named Church House.
In the show, this doubles as a Community Hall where the fussy, pedantic Air Raid Precautions (ARP) warden Mr Bosworth holds meetings and reluctantly recruits Mrs Hall as a warden.
The production team took the wooden church notices cabinet down and as it was during wartime replaced it with a board indicating when black out started.
Further up the village – what is now the Town Hall & Devonshire Institute, was originally built in 1855 by the 6thDuke of Devonshire as a Mechanics Institute for the improvement of the lives of the local mine workers on the Bolton Abbey Estate where the Dukes of Devonshire had their lead mines.
Mrs Hall was seen entering the building when trying to find out information as to whether her son was still alive after she had heard that his naval ship had been sunk during the war.
Another scene I was lucky enough to witness at this top end of the village was James Herriot walking down Chamber End Fold in season 6 to visit Sister Rose to look in on her dog. We accidentally stumbled on this and the security people asked the family who I was there with if we would be kind enough to stand closer to Ashton House Craft and Carving so we were not in shot.
Next thing we know, Nicholas Ralph is standing next to us holding a small leather vet’s bag and chatting to everyone. He was filmed four times walking at pace down the street before the Director called it a wrap and he was whisked off somewhere else.
The Ashton House Craft and Carving shop was actually used itself in season 7 more recently and turned into A.Hart, a scrap iron and metal dealer which also offered household repairs. The shop looked to have been a bit of a master of everything as there were small signs also saying tea dealer, iron monger and tinplate.
Other areas in the town have also been used for filming.
The small courtyard to the right of Robert Bunny menswear had been used before a couple of times. The distinctive almost gothic arched gate which is the back entrance to the privately owned Grassington Old Hall, was where Seigfriend and rival vet Mr Pandy had a chat after farmer had asked Mr Pandy for a second opinion by a farmer in season 2.
It was also one of the areas where young vet Carmody was lost trying to find the practice in a later season, ending up in a narrow moss covered ginnel known locally as “The Jakey”.
But this season the former outdoor clothing shop was transformed into another exterior of Higgins Bakers and the building to its side became Hirst’s laundry.
Interestingly, the three shops next to The Drovers Arms have changed over time, Walkers Bakers on the right started off as Darrowby Cycles for the first couple of seasons before becoming Darrowby Iron Mongers. The Rustic Rabbit previously became Hirst’s Laundry.
But in season 6 the laundry at The Rustic Rabbit had been replaced with a 1940’s green petrol pump and becomes Robert Bunny Garage. So it was good to see Hirst’s laundry back but just in a different place in season 7!
One of the things which blows me away is the attention to detail. Even when broadcast the viewers may not get close up views as to what is in the windows of shops, the props team have obviously gone to great lengths to ensure that everything on the shelves if authentic and from the correct period.
Just take a look at Darrowby Iron Mongers…
The Robert Bunney Garage…
And the Darrowby Bakers
Woods Newsagent and General Store
Across the market square from these shops is Grassington Museum, once a series of miners cottages. It has played the Recruitment office, where James and Tristan queued up outside to sign up for the war effort. Then later it played the Rations office.
But when in town over the summer it had been turned into a camera shop. Again, it was impressive the lengths which had been taken to make it look as it would have done in the 1940’s.
Skeldale House
Skeldale House where James, Helen, Mrs Hall, Seigfried and Tristan live at the veterinary practice is a private house in the village. Many people who come to the village to find Skeldale House have to ask where it is, as its distinctive pillars are taken away after filming. Before filming starts the stone house ends up having a new entrance door and porch added.
The pillars seem to be painted fibre glass and its amusing to what people carrying these on their shoulders down the street. Interestingly two plaques are fixed to the columns which pretty much mirror the plaques at the real Skeldale House (at The World of James Herriot in Thirsk) for Donald Sinclair (who the character Seigfried is based on) and Alfred Wight (the real James Herriot).
Seigriend Farnon M.R.C.V.S Veterinary Surgeon and Mr J. Herriot M.R.C.V.S.
The props team also bring in a hedge to put behind the small wall in front of the house as well as some false metal railings. They also used to collect moss from down the nearby ginnels to put on the wall to make it look older.
Another subtle change with season 7, is that as we are post World War II there is no longer the need for the props team to put masking tape crosses across every window in the village. During the war the tape was to stop the glass in windows shattering if bombs dropped.
There is also not the need now to have boards informing people when black out is.
There also seem to be a few more Darrowby notice boards around the town advertising all sorts of community events or activities such as Whist drives, fancy dress balls and choir practice.
The Drovers Arms
Not a lot has changed with the outside of the Devonshire Arms turning into The Drover's Arms. And whilst they don’t film inside the pub it is worth popping in as they have one of my favourite beers Taylors Golden Best, has been rebranded as Drovers Best specially for the pub, appropriate All Creatures beer pump badge.
When the series was set during the war, there were posters around the village encouraging men to Join a Yorkshire regiment, advising people to Dig for Victory and saying Loose Lips Sink Ships. Nowadays the posters are more product brand related with advertisements for Bovril, Guiness, Oxo and Lyles Golden Syrup.
It's interesting seeing the Congregational Church being used as a Green Room for child actors.
And the old period vehicles they bring into Grassington/Darrowby for filming.
The town of Grassington makes a great Darrowby, but as we have moved through the seasons and years, there have been subtle changes and I hope this article has highlighted a few of them. As many people re-watch the series over again as it is such a great show, hopefully there are a few things to look out for!
If you want to read my original 2023 Blog about Grassington transforming into Darrowby – https://www.realyorkshireblog.com/post/transforming-grassington-into-darrowby-for-the-filming-of-all-creatures-great-small
I also wrote a short piece on meeting James and Helen in Arncliffe - https://www.realyorkshireblog.com/post/the-day-we-bumped-into-james-herriot-in-arncliffe
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