by Christmas lights shine on every shop and cobbled street in the center of Holmfirth, the small industrial town in West Yorkshire, best known as the place for The last wine of summer. You may not know the area, but you’ll be familiar with the show: it was the world’s longest-running sitcom, from 1973 to 2010.
But, 50 years after the show first aired, Holmfirth is making a name for itself again – as a leader in the extremely serious effort of heritage conservation. The town’s 5,000 residents have been described as “inspirational” after they came together to rescue Holmfirth’s historic buildings from decay and decay and, in the process, revitalized the town’s economy.
“The town was at its peak,” says Craig Broadwith of Historic England, which announced last month that it was removing Holmfirth from its Heritage at Risk Register after 14 years. The register is an annual check on the health of England’s historic buildings and places. This year, 159 places were added and 203 were removed, including Holmfirth.
“There was a growing number of [commercial] vacancies, problems related to the quality of sidewalks and roads, building abandonment and graffiti,” says Broadwith. “[Holmfirth] was in decline. What has been achieved is incredible. “The city center has changed and house prices have gone up.”
Among the buildings at risk were many relatives of The last wine of summer, although the way they’ve been revamped would leave Compo, Foggy and Clegg quite baffled. While Nora’s Stairs and Sid’s Cafe are still there, the city has acquired a slew of new Airbnbs, stylish cocktail bars, and a co-working space. Former civic buildings have been requisitioned as art spaces and educational centers. Just outside the city, award-winning wines are produced at Holmfirth Vineyard and the area now hosts a host of festivals, from folk and film to food and drink, art and music.
Latest figures show more than 700,000 people visited the city this year, a year-on-year increase of 2.5 percent.
Steve Davie, 71, a retired vicar and chairman of Holmfirth Conservation Group, says it was the ignominy of being placed on Historic England’s “at risk” register in 2009 that galvanized locals; Holmfirth Conservation Group was born soon after.
“I was inspired by the David Cameron era, when third sector volunteering and local people came together to do something,” he says. “There was a lot of concern in the town and rather than wait for Kirklees Council to do something about it, we rolled up our sleeves and did it ourselves. We created a Conservation Area Assessment like complete amateurs.”
The group inspected every historic building and every square meter of road and pavement, compiled a list of “at risk” buildings, and set about saving and restoring them.
The Tech, opened in 1894, was previously a secondary school and adult education centre, and had been empty since 2014, when Kirklees Council decided to sell it. “There was concern that it might be torn down,” says Chris Little, director of The Tech.
“We worked very hard to get the building back,” explains Margaret Dale, 72, president of The Tech’s board of directors. “It was originally purchased by subscription. The Victorians did a fantastic job paying for its construction. [donations were also given by local gentry and mill owners] and we did exactly the same thing to buy it back.”
Dale was involved in the creation of Holmfirth Tech Ltd, a community benefit society, in 2018, and through grants, fundraising and share sales, the building was acquired from the council. “There is a very strong cooperative spirit in Holmfirth,” he says. “Now The Tech is a resource for local people.” The building hosts classes including sewing, banjo lessons, dance, Pilates and yoga. It also has an orchestra and a community choir.
When Barclays closed its last branch in the city, the bank was persuaded to rent rooms at The Tech to continue providing banking services. “They didn’t abandon us,” Dale says.
Opposite The Tech is another beautiful Victorian building, The Civic, formerly the Town Hall and Drill Hall. It was also owned by Kirklees Council and is now managed by Holmfirth Civic Hall Community Trust. Liz Annett, 40, director of the centre, says: “Our aim is to organize different events for the community and raise funds to keep the building open.” As well as a volunteer-run cafe, there are badminton, Pilates and comedy nights.
“People think we’re a little behind because they assume we’re all flat caps and whips, but we’re surprised at how far people travel for events. [we put on]”Adds Annett. “At least 20 per cent of event tickets are for people traveling from places like Peterborough and Nottingham.”
Culture, it seems, is now the lifeblood of a town that grew first around corn mills and then the cloth trade, whose factories drew their energy from the River Holme that runs through the valley. When The last wine of summer It was still being performed, it was thought that the tourism generated by the show would be enough to sustain the town once the mills closed. But once the show ended and visitor numbers dwindled, another source of income was needed.
Fortunately, there were fantastic buildings to repurpose and local people apparently had the will to prevent Holmfirth from becoming a post-industrial cliché. Take, for example, the Picturedrome, which is located in the center of the city. Opened in 1913 as Holme Valley Theatre, it is now owned by Peter Carr. He first saw this historic blue plaque venue as a child in the 1960s, when it was a cinema. When Wetherspoons showed interest 15 years ago, the town came on board. “I’ve always liked to try to do something with it,” says Carr. “We started organizing concerts and live music.” The 690-capacity venue was nominated for NME’s Best Small Venue in 2014.
Another iconic building that has been renovated is the former Lloyds Bank, repurposed three months ago as Society, a studio and coworking space on Victoria Street. “It’s such 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. That’s not what Holmfirth is about. “We like to keep things local.” Adjacent to the coworking space is a yoga studio and classes including life drawing, wine tasting and ceramic decorating.
Holmfirth is a small town but it punches well above its weight. “We are like Monaco: we have a lot in a small area,” says Piscitelli. “There are a lot of places opening up in Holmfirth. “We are against the trend because in other places things are closing.”
One of the things that distinguishes the town is the large number of independent businesses. “94 percent of our companies are independent,” says Dale. “Our vacancy rate has been consistently low over the past five years.”
What does the future hold for a city best known for a sitcom that ended 13 years ago and whose fans won’t be around forever? “We recognize that we need to go further The last wine of summer”says Dale. “It’s an important part of our history, but we want to move forward.”
Laura Booth, 53, has been the owner of Sid’s Cafe, a key establishment in The last wine of summer, for 17 years. “Our customers are 75 percent tourists,” Booth says. “Today a lady came from Devon. She is a big fan and she wanted to celebrate her 80th birthday here. People come from all over the world, from Australia and Canada. They say, ‘My life’s ambition has been to come here.’”
However, Sid’s menu has changed slightly since Compo’s time, with vegan options alongside the famous scones, jam and clotted cream. But Booth is worried about the future. “The last wine of summer It’s not in that prime time slot anymore, but it’s part of television history. Colin, the coach driver, said years ago: “Look how busy Haworth is and how long ago the Brontë sisters died.” I hope we can stay as long as they do.”
Historic England’s Craig Broadwith says the town’s change is down to the people of Holmfirth. “It is an autonomous community organization that is done without large amounts of money or subsidies,” he says. “It is very inspiring”.
What advice does Holmfirth have for other towns interested in replicating its success story? “We’ve worked very hard to build relationships with each other,” Dale says. “We want to celebrate our heritage while looking to our future.”
