Shibden Hall: Behind the scenes at a Yorkshire home steeped in Anne Lister history and where Gentleman Jack was filmed

The Grade ll listed building, dating back to 1420 and still with a half-timbered Tudor frontage, is now a museum. As it opened to the public this month, there's still much to be done.

Cleaning and dusting, and conservation. And the mullioned and transomed window, so nearly ready for its ancient stained glass to return from the conservators.

To Calderdale Museums manager Richard Macfarlane, this ancient window, dating back to the dissolution of the monasteries, gives a sense of the building's significance.

"It's part of understanding just how old Shibden is," he said. "There's been a hall here since 1420, five years after the Battle of Agincourt. It dates back to Henry V's time.

"Looking after something like Shibden, it makes you realise you're only part of the history. There's 600 years of history here, our intention is that it keeps going another 600. She's seen generations come and go.”

The home, of course, is best known as the residence of noted diarist Anne Lister, who inherited the estate in 1836. The adjacent 17th century barn and workshops also house a carriage collection and displays relating to crafts, including a blacksmiths, coopers, wheelwrights and saddlers.

It's all set in public parkland, which creates its own challenges with birds. Jackdaws are building their nests, dropping sticks all over the grounds, the swallows are expected soon. There’s one robin, having taken up residence in the barn, that is causing chaos with the carriages.

“We wouldn't want it to be anywhere else,” said Mr Macfarlane. "It was a private house and a home. Now it's open to the public, anybody can come and see it.

"It's Anne Lister's home, an integral part of her story," he added. "The Gentleman Jack effect is still there.”

Last year saw some success, with a return in visitor numbers following lockdowns and closures. Next week is to be busy, with Anne Lister's Birthday Week launching next Wednesday, and Calderdale's Anne Lister Festival from Monday.Now it's dusting and polishing, finishing the window, so that visitors can see it in its glory once more.