Some of the best bits of Holmfirth aren’t necessarily the ones you notice first.
Around the churchyard and Sid’s Safe you’ll find stories, characters and connections that reveal another side of the town.
Take a wander. Look at the buildings. Read the names. Notice the details. This is Holmfirth away from the obvious postcard views.
1. Explore the churchyard – Spend a few minutes looking at the names, dates and details around you.
2. Find Sid’s Safe – Discover the story behind one of Holmfirth’s more unusual local landmarks.
3. Look towards The Picturedrome – Holmfirth’s entertainment story continues nearby at one of the town’s best-known venues.
Sid’s Café has one of Holmfirth’s most unusual transformation stories. When the BBC discovered the building in 1973, it wasn’t a café at all. The former fish and chip shop was being used to store paint for the ironmonger next door.
After it became the fictional workplace of Sid and Ivy in Last of the Summer Wine, fans began arriving in Holmfirth expecting to find a real café. Eventually, that is exactly what it became.
Look closely and you are standing beside a place seen by millions, a setting for countless cups of tea, arguments and ill-fated plans involving Compo, Clegg and Foggy. Just beyond it stands Holy Trinity Church, much closer than the programme’s clever camera angles ever suggested.
As you continue towards Hollowgate, you will pass The Nook, formally known as the Rose & Crown. The pub dates back to 1754, while the present building was constructed in 1818. Today, it remains a welcoming, family-run pub serving locally brewed ales from its adjoining brewhouse. The cobbled route outside once formed an important passage through Holmfirth, connecting Towngate with Hollowgate.
Find the oldest date you can spot. Then find the newest thing you can see from where you’re standing.
Holmfirth’s past and present are often only a few steps apart.
