All Creatures Great and Small Filming Locations

The series is filmed across the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, but the real James Herriot, a country vet named Alf Wight, lived and worked right here in the market town of Thirsk. The fictional Darrowby you see on screen is a wonderful piece of television magic. The real story, the actual home, the genuine surgery and the man himself, all belong to Thirsk. That is where you will find us, at the World of James Herriot.

All Creatures Great and Small filming locations in the Yorkshire Dales

When fans go looking for the All Creatures Great and Small filming locations, nearly all roads lead into the Dales, and for good reason. The rolling hills, dry stone walls and cobbled streets are every bit as gorgeous in person as they are on television.

In the much loved current series, the village of Grassington stands in for the fictional Darrowby. Its market square is dressed back to the 1930s and 1940s, the Devonshire becomes the Drovers Arms, and a private house plays the part of Skeldale House. In the original BBC series that ran from 1978, it was the village of Askrigg in Wensleydale that played Darrowby instead, and the house used for Skeldale exteriors there is now a bed and breakfast.

Beyond Darrowby, the cameras have travelled all over the county. The grand home of Mrs Pumphrey and her pampered Pekingese Tricki Woo was filmed at Broughton Hall near Skipton. Sweeping moorland, tumbling waterfalls and country lanes fill in the rest, and many of the warm kitchen and surgery interiors are actually built as sets in a studio. Even Thirsk itself has had a turn on camera, with the wonderful old Ritz Cinema appearing in the series.

It is a joy to visit these places and stand where your favourite scenes came to life. Just remember that you are visiting the set of the story, not the source of it.

Where it really happened: Thirsk and the real Skeldale House

Here is the part the filming guides often skip over. The real James Herriot never lived in Darrowby, because Darrowby was never a real place. Alf Wight, who wrote under the pen name James Herriot, spent his working life at 23 Kirkgate in Thirsk. That building, the genuine home and veterinary surgery where he lived, raised his family and treated the animals of Herriot Country Yorkshire, is the real Skeldale House. Today it is the World of James Herriot, the All Creatures Great and Small museum that fans travel from all over the world to see.

When you step through our door you are not walking onto a set. You are walking into the actual rooms where the real stories were written and lived. The fully restored 1940s home and surgery, the dispensary, the family living quarters, his books and belongings, they are all here, just as they were. This is the Alf Wight museum, the one and only place where the man behind the legend truly belongs.

There is more real Herriot history close by too. Just a short drive from Thirsk is Sutton Bank, the breathtaking escarpment that Alf Wight himself called the finest view in England, and the place where his ashes were scattered. Stand up there on a clear day, look out across the Vale of Mowbray, and you are sharing a view he loved his whole life. That is something no filming location can offer.

All Creatures Great and Small filming locations versus the real places

So the honest answer to the great filming locations question is that the heart of All Creatures Great and Small is split in two. The scenery belongs to the Yorkshire Dales. The soul belongs to Thirsk. The good news for fans is that you do not have to choose, because everything sits within easy reach in the same glorious corner of North Yorkshire.

Think of it this way. Grassington and Askrigg let you walk through the world of the television series. The World of James Herriot in Thirsk lets you meet the real person who inspired every word of it. One without the other is only half the tale.

Plan your own James Herriot tour of England

Putting together a James Herriot tour of England is easier than you might think. Many visitors make Thirsk their base, since it is a brilliant little market town, well connected by road and rail, and a perfect launchpad for days out near York and across the wider Dales. A lovely route might look like this.

Begin at the real Skeldale House in Thirsk with a visit to us at the James Herriot museum, where the whole story makes sense. Carry on to Sutton Bank for that finest view in England. Then head into the Dales to see Grassington as Darrowby and, if you are a fan of the original series, Askrigg too. Along the way you will find tea rooms, country pubs and some of the loveliest scenery in England waiting for you.

It makes for a wonderful family day out in North Yorkshire, and because our attraction is entirely indoors, we are a safe bet whatever the Yorkshire weather decides to do. We are proud to be one of the most welcoming Yorkshire heritage attractions, and a firm favourite on any list of things to do in Thirsk.

Visit the real home of All Creatures Great and Small

If the series has stolen your heart, there is really only one place to feel the real magic, and that is here at the genuine James Herriot Thirsk home and surgery. Come and stand in the rooms where it all happened, see his world with your own eyes, and take home a story you will be telling for years.

Book your James Herriot museum tickets today and step into the real world of All Creatures Great and Small. We cannot wait to welcome you.

Frequently asked questions

Where are the All Creatures Great And Small filming locations?

The current series is filmed mainly in the Yorkshire Dales, with the village of Grassington standing in for the fictional Darrowby. The original BBC series used the village of Askrigg in Wensleydale. Other locations across North Yorkshire feature too, including Broughton Hall near Skipton as Mrs Pumphrey’s home.

Can you visit the real Skeldale House?

Yes. The real Skeldale House is at 23 Kirkgate in Thirsk, the genuine home and surgery where the real James Herriot lived and worked. It is now the World of James Herriot, where you can explore the fully restored 1940s rooms for yourself.

Where did the real James Herriot live and work?

The real James Herriot was a country vet named Alf Wight, and he lived and worked in the market town of Thirsk in North Yorkshire. His home and veterinary surgery is now the World of James Herriot museum, the only place dedicated to the real man behind the stories.

Is the World of James Herriot a good family day out?

Absolutely! Families love the hands on activities and interactive displays, and because the whole attraction is indoors it makes a brilliant family day out in North Yorkshire whatever the weather. Thirsk is well connected by road and rail, which makes it an easy day out near York and the Dales.