Christmas Special, All Creatures Great & Small - Anglophile Friday

James Herriot and Helen
played by
Christopher Timothy and Helen Drinkwater

Photo via DailyMail.co.uk

When All Creatures Great & Small was on PBS in the 1980s, I looked forward to Sunday evenings when I'd make a cup of cocoa and get it ready just in time to sit down and hear that cheerful opening tune of 'All Creatures.' That, of course, is where my love of Yorkshire began.

The TV series was based on the books by 'James Herriot' (Alf Wight), who began his veterinary practice in c. 1940 in the Yorkshire Dales and Moors, working out of 23 Kirkgate in the town of Thirsk.

From YouTube, my very favorite episode of All Creatures Great & Small

(or at least one of my favorite. I loved so many of them!)

It's one of the Christmas specials, the one with

the REAL Helen.

From left to right: Robert Hardy (Sigfried) has a long, long list of movies to his credit, including Sherlock Holmes, Foyle's War, and Inspector Morse. Christopher Timothy dropped off my radar until I saw him in an old mystery movie.  Margaretta Scott (Mrs. Pomfrey) turned up in a Dorothy L. Sayers' movie as Lord Peter's mother, and Peter Davison (Tristan) was Dr. Who and Campion, among his many credits (and some discredits, I think, like Distant Shores.)  

I don't know how anyone can grow up in Yorkshire and ever move away.
Photo via DailMail.co.uk

 The Dispensary
Now part of the World of James Herriot museum
at 23 Kirkgate, Thirsk

 The Kitchen
Now part of The World of James Herriot museum

So this evening, go make yourself a cup of cocoa and enjoy the above YouTube video, which will take you to that wonderful world of All Creatures Great & Small set in the 1940s Yorkshire. You won't be sorry.

This post was written earlier in the week and scheduled to publish. I will be away from the computer today to spend time with my daughter who is visiting from Texas. Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping in!

See you next week. 

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Anglophile Friday - Thirsk to Carlton Miniott North Yorkshire

Thirsk, Town Center
North Yorkshire

 Market Day

Everything a Dog Could Want

 Town Center

Other Side

Remember Darrowby?

The fictional town in the James Herriot, All Creatures Great and Small series

Carlton Miniott - just 2.2 miles down the road from Thirsk

Phone Box Graveyard at Carlton Miniott

Photo by Reuters

So there we were, driving east along the A61 on our way to Thirsk, when we came upon a yard full of red phone boxes in various states of decay. I couldn't believe it. I wanted to take them all with me and find loving homes for them -  starting with mine.

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Anglophile Friday - Favorite Photos of England - Malton & Norton

Ice Cream Truck with Eager Customers

Malton

View Larger Map

About 18 miles NE of York lies the town of Malton 

For any Downton Abbey fans out there, I know that the fictional Downton Abbey is supposed to have been located somewhere in the general vicinity, for Ripon, Malton, Easingwold, and Thirsk are all mentioned in the series.

When Kevin and I returned to the Malton/Norton area three years later, this fish and chicken bar was no longer in operation. At least, we couldn't find it.

Malton and Norton-on-Derwent are market towns on either side of the River Derwent in the North Yorkshire Moors.

It's kind of confusing, I mean, is it one town or two?? for the North Yorkshire Towns website states, 

'There’s a superb blend of the traditional and modern in Malton Norton, located either side of the River Derwent, just a short distance from the A64 between York and Scarborough. The town has the distinction of a bustling high street and also a market square. It enjoys main road connections, a bus and train station, coach parking, a rich Roman heritage, distinctive 18th century buildings, a cinema, soft play area and swimming pool, general and farmers markets on Saturdays and auction marts on weekdays.'

See what I mean? They make it sound like it's one town. The map (especially zoomed in) makes it look like it's definitely two separate market towns. There's a lot about England I'll never understand.

A couple other tidbits of information I found online about Malton/Norton:

• It is 'well-known throughout the horse racing industry for the town's many stables.'

• Charles Dickens wrote 'A Christmas Carol' while staying in Malton. 

I had previously thought that these doors were from photos I'd taken in Richmond, but when I looked at the sequence of numbers on the photos, I saw that they must have been taken in the Malton/Norton area.

Yorkshire is full of brightly-painted doors against brick or stone building exteriors.

Two of the locals, out for a stroll

In my opinion, the Yorkshire Moors don't compare with the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales. Then again, I wouldn't go as far as Mary in 'The Secret Garden,' who said, 'The Moors are ugly!'  I'd be happy to reside in any part of North Yorkshire!

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All Creatures Great and Small

Being a huge fan of the All Creatures Great and Small books and the BBC TV show, I was thrilled when my daughter Angela took me to Yorkshire and indulged my passion for All Creatures. In the town of Thirsk, right in the middle of North Yorkshire, is the building where Alf Wight, aka James Herriot, had his veterinary practice HQ in the 1940's. (He was qualified as a veterinary surgeon in the 30s, but his practice then was in Sunderland, NE of Thirsk. I think that is near Newcastle-upon Tyne, so Heidi's relatives could still be lurking thereabout.)

The veterinary clinic, now a museum 'The World of James Herriot' in downtown Thirsk.

The famous red door.

Yes, they allowed me to take photographs of the inside the museum. I think this is my favorite - the dispensary. Doesn't it look fascinating!!

Another shot of the dispensary.

The laboratory.

The vets who shared a veterinary practice and their actor counterparts. (A photo of a photo, obviously)

The dining room. I picture Mrs. Hall uncovering the burnt roast. You can't go wrong with a good bit of beef! 

The huge kitchen. Baking, laundry, cooking, were all done in the kitchen.
Another shot of the kitchen, below, with the amazing AGA cooker against the back wall.

And if you're saying, 'What's an AGA cooker?' It's a kitchen range, popular at that time, but whose popularity has waned. I would love to have one of these in my house! Here's a photo I gleaned from the web:

Here's also a brief description you might be interested in.

The living room, with the good veterinarian looking rather stiff.

The garden.

The garage.

The last two photos I took in the nearby village of Askrigg. This building was used on the TV show as 'The Drovers.' Remember Tristan? Mmmm. My favorite. :-)

Another building in Askrigg, used for the TV show as Skeldale House.

You can get more information on the World of James Herriot website. For fans of the All Creatures Great and Small books, this place is a must-see! Besides, the Yorkshire countryside where Alf Wight practiced veterinary medicine is breathtaking. And no kidding, some of the farmers there today look like they could have stepped right out of the pages of his books!

Did you read the All Creatures Great and Small series? What was your favorite story?