Christmas lights twinkle from every shop and cobbled street in the center of Holmfirth, the small West Yorkshire mill town best known as the location for Last summer wine. You may not know the region, but you probably know the show: it was the longest-running sitcom in the world, running from 1973 to 2010.
But fifty years after the program first aired, Holmfirth is making a name for himself again - as a leader in the very serious effort of heritage conservation. The town's 5,000 residents have been described as "inspirational" after coming together to save Holmfirth's historic buildings from decay and decay - and breathe new life into the town's economy in the process.
"The town was turned upside down," says Craig Broadwith of Historic England, who last month announced it was removing Holmfirth from the Heritage at Risk Register after 14 years. The register is an annual health check of England's historic buildings and places. This year 159 places have been added and 203 removed, including Holmfirth.
"More and more came [commercial] vacancies, issues related to the quality of sidewalks and highways, building neglect and graffiti," said Broadwith. "[Holmfirth] was in decline. What has been achieved is incredible. The city center has changed and house prices have risen."
There were many acquaintances among the threatened buildings Last summer wine, although the way they've been revamped would leave Compo, Foggy, and Clegg quite baffled. While Nora's Steps and Sid's Cafe are still around, the city has spawned a host of new Airbnbs, chic cocktail bars, and co-working space. Old public buildings have been reclaimed as art spaces and educational centers. Just outside the town, award-winning wines are produced at Holmfirth Vineyard and the area now plays host to a plethora of festivals, from folk and film to food and drink, art and music.
The latest figures show that more than 700,000 people visited the city this year, an increase of 2.5 percent year on year.
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Steve Davie, 71, a retired preacher and chairman of the Holmfirth Conservation Group, says it was the shame of being placed on Historic England's 'at risk' list in 2009 that galvanized locals; shortly afterwards, Holmfirth Conservation Group was born.
"I was inspired by the David Cameron era of third sector volunteering and local people coming together to do something," he says. "There was a lot of concern in the city and instead of waiting for Kirklees Council to do something about it, we rolled up our sleeves and did it ourselves. We made a Conservation Area Appraisal as complete amateurs.
The group surveyed every historic building and every square meter of road and pavement, drew up a list of buildings that were 'in danger', and set about saving and restoring them.
Opened in 1894, The Tech was previously a secondary school and adult education center and has been empty since 2014 when Kirklees Council decided to sell it. "There was concern that it could be torn down," said Chris Little, director of The Tech.
"We worked very hard to get the building back," explains Margaret Dale, 72, chairman of The Tech's board of directors. "It was originally purchased through a subscription. The Victorians did a fantastic job paying for its construction [donations were also given by local gentry and mill owners] and we did the exact same thing to buy it back.
Dale was involved in setting up Holmfirth Tech Ltd, a community benefit organization, in 2018 and through grants, fundraising and share sales the building was acquired from the council. "There is a very strong co-operative ethos in Holmfirth," she says. "Now The Tech is a resource for locals." Classes are held in the building, including dress making, banjo lessons, dancing, pilates and yoga. It also features an orchestra and a community choir.
When Barclays closed its last branch in the city, the bank was persuaded to rent rooms in The Tech to continue providing banking services. "They didn't let us down," Dale said.
Opposite The Tech is another beautiful Victorian building, The Civic, formerly the Town Hall and Drill Hall. Also once owned by Kirklees Council, it is now run by Holmfirth Civic Hall Community Trust. Liz Annett, 40, center manager, said: "Our aim is to organize various events for the community and raise money to keep the building open." As well as a volunteer-run café, there are badminton, pilates and comedy evenings.
"People think we're a bit behind because they think we're all flat caps and whippets, but we're shocked at how far people travel for the events [we put on]", adds Annet. "At least 20 per cent of event tickets are for people traveling from places like Peterborough and Nottingham."
It seems that culture is now the lifeblood of a town that first grew around flour mills, and then the cloth trade, with the mills drawing their power from the River Holme which flows through the valley. When Last summer wine Manufacturing continued, but it was thought that the tourism generated by the show would be enough to keep the town alive once the mills closed. But after the show ended and attendance declined, another revenue stream was needed.
Fortunately, there were fantastic buildings that could be reused and the locals seemed to have 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. It opened in 1913 as the Holme Valley Theater and is now owned by Peter Carr. He first saw the historic blue-plaque location as a child in the 1960s, when it was still a movie theater. When Wetherspoons showed interest fifteen years ago, the city got behind it. "I've always wanted to do something with it," says Carr. "We started organizing concerts and live music." The 690 capacity venue was nominated for an NME Best Small Venue in 2014.
Another iconic building to get a facelift is the old Lloyds Bank, repurposed three months ago as Society, a co-working and studio 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. Holmfirth is not about that. We like to keep it local." In addition to the co-working space, there is a studio for yoga and classes including life drawing, wine tasting and ceramic decoration.
Holmfirth is a small town, but it punches well above its weight. "We are like Monaco: we have so much in a small area," says Piscitelli. "There are a lot of places opening up in Holmfirth. We are bucking the trend because businesses are closing elsewhere."
One of the things that stands out about the city 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 a city best known for a sitcom that ended thirteen years ago and whose fans won't be around forever? "We realize that we have to go further Last summer wine," says Dale. "It is an important part of our history, but we want to move on."
Laura Booth, 53, owns Sid's Cafe, a major venue in Last summer wine, for 17 years. "Our customers are 75 percent tourists," says Booth. 'We had a lady from Devon today. She is a big fan and wanted to celebrate her 80th birthday here. People come from all over the world, from Australia and Canada. They say: 'It has been my life's ambition to come here.'
However, Sid's menu has changed slightly since Compo's time, with vegan options available in addition to the famous scones, jam and clotted cream. But Booth worries about the future. " Last summer wine is no longer in that primetime slot, but is part of TV history. Colin, the bus driver, said years ago: 'Look how busy Haworth is and how long ago the Brontë sisters died.' Hopefully we can stay here as long as they do."
Craig Broadwith from Historic England says the town's turnaround is down to the people of Holmfirth. "It is a community organization that you can organize on your own, without large pots of money and subsidies," he says. "It's very inspiring."
What advice does Holmfirth have for other cities looking to copy their success story? "We have worked very hard on building relationships with each other," says Dale. "We want to celebrate our heritage as we look to our future."
