Esholt - The 1980s Emmerdale Era And 2010

Esholt, AKA Beckindale/Emmerdale, 2010. Looking across the allotments to the back of The Woolpack.

Beckindale Bugle reader Ben is a great fan of Emmerdale past and present, and recently visited Esholt, which was the village's exterior location for many years - including the entire 1980s.

We thought it might be fun to do a "Then And Now" retrospective - Beckindale 1980s meets Esholt 2010...

Here's Ben on the very spot where Amos clocked the "return" of the revised and recast Merrick family in September 1980!

In the modern day Esholt Woolpack, memories of Amos and Mr Wilks still linger. The photograph above adorns one of the walls in the pub and is captioned:

EMMERDALE FARM, SEPTEMBER 1981. Henry Wilks (Arthur Pentelow) and Amos Brearly (Ronald Magill) pictured outside The Woolpack.

1981 is a very special year to this blog - it was the year when a certain Mr Brearly founded The Beckindale Bugle - from which we took our title!

The Woolpack in 2010 and in 1980. Back in the '80s, the pub was called The Commercial Inn and had to be disguised as The Woolpack before each episode was filmed. The Commercial became a real-life Woolpack in the early 1990s.

Esholt Sports And Leisure Club in 2010 - and the Beckindale village show, 1980! The Esholt site saw many scenes of sporting rivalry in Emmerdale Farm - and Seth Armstrong accidentally drenching Alan Turner (who was suffering from Seth-induced food poisoning) with champagne after the 1986 NY Estates Versus Beckindale Cricket Match.

Ben's photograph of the Esholt allotments. In 1980, Amos Brearly acquired an allotment in Beckindale - and the scene was set for a decade of rivalry with Seth Armstrong!

Looking across Main Street, Esholt, from The Woolpack - and, inset, Amos and Mr Wilks at home in Main Street, Beckindale in 1981. Amos has just spotted Walter leaving the village shop, studying a copy of The Beckindale Bugle!

Amos won a tricycle in a competition in 1983 - and was thrilled. He was no fan of two wheelers ("Put me on a bike and you've got a wobble!"). Ben retraced Amos's 1983 ride through Beckindale in modern day Esholt.

To end on - a few Esholt facts:

Esholt was originally known as "Escheholt" - the ash wood

The church - which doubled as St Mary's in the Beckindale saga - was built in 1839.

Esholt Old Hall, next to the church, is thought to date from the medieval period and is closely associated with the Sherburne (or Shireburne) family, an ancient catholic family.

Most of the estate cottages in the village date from the early 19th Century.

Esholt doubled as Beckindale from 1976 to 1998 and is still a popular destination for Emmerdale fans.

More About The Beckindale Police House....

Where was it?

Sarah asks:

You say "near the Woolpack," but can you tell me exactly where the Beckindale police station was in Esholt in the 80's?

Yes, Sarah - it fronted what was in reality Main Street, Esholt, and was on the opposite side of Pullan Lane corner from The Woolpack and the buildings adjoining it. The Beckindale bus stop was just outside it. The building used can be seen on Google Maps.

Mrs Bates (Diana Davies) calls at the Beckindale police house/station in 1984, when her dog, Bundle, is shot for worrying sheep. Sergeant Ian MacArthur (Martin Dale) advises her.

The Beckindale Police House

Paul writes to ask:

Observing some '80's Emmerdale eps, I've noticed a cottage with a hanging sign reading "Police" near the Woolpack. Was it part of the plot, or actually Esholt Police Station?

Part of the plot, Paul. As can be seen in the pics at the top of this post, the sign was erected by the Emmerdale Farm production staff whenever outside filming took place in that particular location.

Beckindale had its own police station - or police house - in the 1980s, as you say, near The Woolpack. From December 1980 onwards, Sergeant Ian MacArthur (Martin Dale) was the man at the helm.

Comments And Questions Update...

James writes with an unusual enquiry:

The Harewood Woolpack has 2 glass panels above the door. I seem to recall the Esholt pub had one big panel?

Yes, it did, James - see pic above.

1983: Jackie Merrick's Black Eye...

Notice anything odd about this postcard of Seth Armstrong (Stan Richards) and Jackie Merrick (Ian Sharrock), taken at the Corner Shop in Esholt in 1983?

Yes, that's right, Ian Sharrock appears to be sporting a black eye!

But rest assured, Ian wasn't, Jackie was!

The photograph was taken whilst Stan Richards and Ian Sharrock were filming in Esholt in the summer of 1983. I've actually found the completed episode, which shows Jackie and Seth leaving the Esholt Corner Shop, AKA the Beckindale village shop, and discussing the latest village doings in the street.

Jackie's shiner came from "women trouble". His brief romance with Angie Richards (Beverly Sowden/Callard) had ended, but Jackie, after a few pints, was still jealous to see her with a new boyfriend at the disco in Hotten...

Angie's latest lover-boy was up to the challenge, and landed Jackie with a black eye, before the bouncer moved in to split the warring pair up.

Esholt Discovered

From the Daily Mirror, August 27, 1983:

The original location filming for the village of Beckindale had taken place in Arncliffe, but was re-located to Esholt in 1976. Of course, this meant a new building was needed for exterior shots of the Woolpack, and this was accommodated in the plot with a storyline about subsidence at the old pub, and Amos and Mr Wilks moving to new premises.

Some fans discovered the secret of Beckindale's new location early on, but in August 1983 the cat seemed to be well and truly out of the bag!