World of James Herriot Ltd is a visitor attraction in the former Thirsk home and veterinary surgery of author James Herriot. [1] [2]
Displays include recreations of James Herriots 1940s flat; depictions of rural life and veterinary practice at the time, together with sets and props used for the 1978 BBC All Creatures Great and Small television series based on his books. [3]
In 1995, Hambleton District Council spent £1.4 million purchasing 23 Kirkgate, depicted by James Herriot as Skeldale House, and refurbishing it. [1]
It opened in 1999 but was soon threatened with closure. In 2011, operation transferred to the not for profit World of James Herriot Ltd led by Ian Ashton and, as of 2022, the directors include James Herriot's real life son and daughter. Hambleton District Council retains ownership of the building. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
In 2019, The World of James Herriot received 35,000 visitors and reportedly benefitted from interest in the series The Yorkshire Vet, on Channel 5. [5] [8]
Management closed the attraction to visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic but anticipated boosts from the broadcast of a new All Creatures Great and Small series in the UK in September 2020, and in the US in 2021. By early 2021, VisitBritain was using the phrase "Discover 'All Creatures Great and Small' in Yorkshire". [9] [10] [11]
In 2020, Hambleton District Council granted a subsidised 30-year lease to the operators. [12]
World of James Herriot established the James Herriot Foundation Trust in 2018 to provide bursary awards for people wishing to become veterinary nurses, with the assistance of sponsors. [4]
North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial county in England, covering an area of 9,020 square kilometres (3,480 sq mi). Around 40% of the county is covered by national parks, including most of the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. It is one of four counties in England to hold the name Yorkshire; the three other counties are the East Riding of Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire.
James Alfred Wight, better known by his pen name James Herriot, was a British veterinary surgeon and author.
Sowerby is a village, electoral ward and civil parish in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England immediately south of the neighbouring market town of Thirsk. Although the boundary between the two parishes runs very close to Thirsk town centre, the village retains its own identity and has a separate Parish Council. The author James Herriot lived in the village.
Northallerton is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Vale of Mowbray and at the northern end of the Vale of York. It had a population of 16,832 in the 2011 census, an increase from 15,741 in 2001. It has served as the county town of the North Riding of Yorkshire and, since 1974, of North Yorkshire. Northallerton is made up of four wards: North, Broomfield, Romanby and Central.
Hambleton is a local government district in North Yorkshire, England. The administrative centre is Northallerton, and the district includes the outlying towns and villages of Bedale, Thirsk, Great Ayton, Stokesley, and Easingwold.
The Yorkshire Dales National Park is a 2,178 km2 (841 sq mi) national park in England covering most of the Yorkshire Dales. Most of the park is in North Yorkshire, with a sizeable area in Cumbria and a small part in Lancashire. The park was designated in 1954, and extended in 2016. Over 95% of the land in the Park is under private ownership; there are over 1,000 farms in this area.
Thirsk is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, it is 8 miles (13 km) south-south-east of the county town of Northallerton.
Christopher Timothy is a Welsh actor. He is known for his roles as James Herriot in All Creatures Great and Small, Mac McGuire in the BBC soap opera Doctors and Ted Murray in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.
Donald Vaughan Sinclair was a British veterinary surgeon who graduated from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in 1933. He was made famous as the inspiration for the eccentric character Siegfried Farnon in the semi-autobiographical books of James Herriot, adapted for film and television as All Creatures Great and Small.
Broughton is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. The village is on the A59 road approximately 3 miles (5 km) west of Skipton.
Thirlby is a village and civil parish in Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. With a population of about 120 in 2003, measured at 134 at the 2011 Census, Thirlby is situated approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Thirsk. Unlike its near neighbours, the village is not mentioned in the Domesday Book.
Darrowby is a fictional village in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England, which was created by author Alf Wight under the pen name of James Herriot as the setting for the veterinary practice in his book It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet. The book has been adapted for two television series, both titled All Creatures Great and Small. The first was the BBC's 1978 series, which aired between 1978 and 1990. A new adaptation was produced for the 2020 series.
All Creatures Great and Small is a 1975 British film, directed by Claude Whatham and starring Simon Ward and Anthony Hopkins as Yorkshire vets James Herriot and Siegfried Farnon. It is based on the first two James Herriot novels : If Only They Could Talk (1970) and It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet (1972).
All Creatures Great and Small is a British television series made by the BBC and based on the books of the British veterinary surgeon Alf Wight, who wrote under the pseudonym James Herriot. The title aired over seven series, totalling 90 episodes, from 1978 to 1990. A remake premiered in 2021.
The Hambleton Hills are a range of hills in North Yorkshire, England. They form the western edge of the North York Moors but are separated from the moors by the valley of the River Rye. They are the eastern boundary of the low-lying Vale of Mowbray which they abut with a precipitous escarpment.
The All Creatures Great and Small franchise consists of a series of books, movies, and TV series based on books written by James Alfred Wight under the pen name James Herriot based on his experiences as a veterinary surgeon. The books have been adapted for film and television, including a 1975 film titled All Creatures Great and Small, followed by the 1976 It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet sequel, as well as on television a long-running BBC television programme of the same title, and a prequel series in 2011, Young James Herriot.
Julian Norton is a British veterinary surgeon, author and TV personality, best known for his appearances on thirteen series of The Yorkshire Vet, which has been broadcast on Channel 5 since 2015.
All Creatures Great and Small is a television series, set in 1937, based upon a series of books about a Yorkshire veterinarian written by Alf Wight under the pen name of James Herriot. The series was produced by Playground Entertainment for Channel 5 in the United Kingdom, and PBS in the United States.
Nicholas Ralph is a Scottish actor. He plays James Herriot in the Channel 5 and PBS Masterpiece television series All Creatures Great and Small, a remake of the long-running BBC series.
Cringley House is an historic building in the English village of Askrigg, North Yorkshire. Standing on the south side of Market Place, it was built in the early-to-mid 19th century, and is now a Grade II listed building. Its railings are also of listed status.
Media related to James Herriot Museum at Wikimedia Commons