Emmerdale

HAREWOOD, LEEDS
PHOTOGRAPHED IN 2010, 2017 & 2022

Built in 1997 and first appearing in 1998, the Emmerdale village is a purpose-built set on the Harewood Estate in Leeds, replacing the former filming location of Esholt village in nearby Bradford.

Legally known as Emmerdale Village (originally ‘Emmerdale Farm Village’), the land is leased to ITV Studios until June 2027 by the Earl of Harewood, Viscount Lascelles – a TV producer and cousin of the King. As well as the village set, the adjacent Stub House Farm and nearby Burden Head Farm (known as Wishing Well Farm and Melby Farm in the programme) are also used for filming and production purposes, with a facilities building and associated cast and crew accommodation located at Stub House Farm. There is also a sewage treatment facility on site to make clean the wastewater pumped into Stub House Beck.

HARDCORE FACT: When the set was built, the stone walls of the structures were sprayed with a yoghurt and manure mixture so that lichen would grow and ‘age’ the houses.

Rather uniquely for an outdoor set, the interiors for many of the cottages and other buildings are shot inside the structures themselves. This is occasionally the case for most soaps, but Emmerdale uses around half of its buildings on site as studios. To illustrate this, the uses of the buildings are labelled in pink on the ‘real life’ map below (click to enlarge):

Outside of the lease area is the Leeds Country Way, a public bridleway running between the aforementioned Stub House Farm and Emmerdale Village. It’s possible to see bits and bobs from here, but the Emmerdale Village Tour operates for those who are keen to see more. It’s also possible to stay at Carr House Cottages, which are a three minute walk from the village and appeared in the programme as Woodside Farm in April 1997.

This sparked my interest in TV sets and, the following year, I hopped on the bus to Emmerdale and had a mooch around the village. On a later visit, I was spotted by a crew member who shouted for me to “get [my] c██k out”. I can only assume he meant the opposite, although rest assured that no c██k or other appendage was on display.

Take a virtual tour in Google Street View ➧

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