The Heartbeat Experience in Thirsk
Two Iconic Yorkshire TV Classics. One Unforgettable Destination
Step into the world of Aidensfield. The Heartbeat Experience in Thirsk is now open at the World of James Herriot – bringing one of Britain’s most beloved television series home to the heart of North Yorkshire. Whether you grew up watching Heartbeat on a Sunday evening or you’re discovering the show for the first time, this is an experience that will stay with you long after you leave 23 Kirkgate.
And the best part? The Heartbeat Experience is included as part of your standard museum admission. No extra charge.
What is the Heartbeat Experience in Thirsk?
The Heartbeat Experience is a brand new permanent exhibit at the World of James Herriot, dedicated to celebrating the life and legacy of Nicholas Rhea – the pen name of Peter Walker, the former North Yorkshire policeman whose Constable novels inspired the hit ITV series Heartbeat.
At the heart of the experience is a faithful recreation of Nicholas Rhea’s personal home study – the room where the stories were written. His desk. His books. His personal belongings, moved carefully from his home and arranged exactly as he left them. Standing in this room, surrounded by the objects that were part of his daily life, is a quietly extraordinary experience.
Alongside the study, visitors will discover:
- Two real police motorcycles used in the actual filming of the Heartbeat television series – not replicas, the genuine article.
- A vintage petrol pump evoking the world of 1960s Aidensfield.
- A carefully curated collection of memorabilia, photographs, and archive material from the series.
- Personal items donated by those who were part of the Heartbeat story.
The Story Behind the Heartbeat Experience in Thirsk
Before there was Heartbeat, there was Nicholas Rhea. And before Nicholas Rhea, there was Peter Walker.
Peter Walker was born and raised in North Yorkshire. He served as a police constable across the county for many years – walking the same moorland roads, visiting the same villages, and getting to know the same communities that would later appear in his writing.
It was that first-hand experience of rural policing in the 1960s that gave birth to the Constable series – a long-running sequence of novels following the gentle adventures of PC Nick Rowan in the fictional North Riding village of Aidensfield.
Heartbeat first aired in 1992. It ran for eighteen series, attracting audiences of up to fifteen million viewers at its peak, and becoming one of the defining television programmes of its era. It was also screened in around 30 countries worldwide.
Peter Walker/Nicholas Rhea passed away in 2023. But his legacy lives on in the stories, the memories, and now, here in Thirsk, in the Heartbeat Experience that bears his name.
We are enormously grateful to Rhoda Walker and the family of Nicholas Rhea for their extraordinary generosity in making this exhibition possible.
What Does Heartbeat Have to Do with James Herriot?
More than you might think…
Both James Herriot and Heartbeat are set in the same breathtaking corner of North Yorkshire. Both were watched and loved by millions. Both capture something timeless about rural life in this part of England – the warmth of close communities, the beauty of the landscape, and the quiet humanity of the people who call it home.
And there is a personal connection too. Alf Wight – the real James Herriot – and Peter Walker were contemporaries in the same corner of Yorkshire, both drawing on the landscape, the community, and the characters around them to create stories that would go on to captivate the world.
It feels entirely right that they should share a home here at 23 Kirkgate, Thirsk.
The Heartbeat Filming Locations
The fictional village of Aidensfield was brought to life in the real village of Goathland on the North York Moors – just over an hour’s drive from Thirsk. The Goathland Hotel served as the Aidensfield Arms. St Mary’s Church appeared as the village church. The surrounding moorland provided the dramatic backdrop for so many of the series’ most memorable scenes.
Many visitors combine a trip to the World of James Herriot with a drive out to Goathland – and on a clear day, the journey across the moors is one of the finest drives in England.