Thirsk -- The home of James Herriot
This is a 1997 shot of the front of the real home of Alf Wight, aka James Herriot,
located in Thirsk. For those of you who are not aware of James Herriot, he was the
author of one of the most captivating series of books concerning the lives and
everyday routines of veterinarians, colleagues, and their clients (both human and their
"creatures") living and working in the Yorkshire Dales. The title of the first book,
and subsequent television series was, of course, "All Creatures Great and Small".
The front of the house doesn't "quite" look like this, as the entire home has been
transformed into the James Herriot Museum, called officially, The World of James
Herriot. The Hambleton District Council who had the responsibility of converting and
restoring this rather large home, grounds, and outbuildings into something that was
both informative and entertaining, yet maintaining the "dignity" of the property is,
at least in the opinion of this writer, well done.
Included inside the museum is, besides the original surgery, furniture, and tools, is
one of the sets for the television series, the living room set. This was the featured set,
at least at the time of our last visit, in the year 2000. We were surprised in that the
set that was used in nearly every episode is really a very small space, just enough for
the characters and props to fit. You'll just have to visit and see for yourself. The
whole experience is well worth the trip!
The owners of PAWS-A-WHILE and this writer will discuss whether or not to rate this
attraction as a "Must See" or a "Recommended" location. Leave an opinion on the
PAWS-A-WHILE Message Board. We would really appreciate your input!
Oh, one final point... there are many web sites about "All Creatures Great and Small",
but most are related to selling books, videos, and other sites that use the name for
their own interests. We are including a link here
that will take you to the Message
Board input page. If you happen to know of other sites, please let us know within
your message that we hope that you will leave on the message board. We will
incorporate some of them into this site for more to enjoy.
The real home entrance of Alf Wight / James Herriot in 1997.
