Holidaymakers can '˜live like Nora Batty'!

A unique holiday let in picturesque Yorkshire is still wooing visitors, 10 years after Last of the Summer Wine stopped filming '“ and it's all thanks to a bright spark at the BBC and some entrepreneurial owners.
Ad Feature by Ernest Wilson
Published 4th Jan 2018, 16:13 BST
Updated 4th Jan 2018, 16:15 BST
Located in the heart of the Yorkshire village, the cottage once belonged to Nora Batty, she of the wrinkled stockings and fearsome demeanour in Last of the Summer Wine.Located in the heart of the Yorkshire village, the cottage once belonged to Nora Batty, she of the wrinkled stockings and fearsome demeanour in Last of the Summer Wine.
Located in the heart of the Yorkshire village, the cottage once belonged to Nora Batty, she of the wrinkled stockings and fearsome demeanour in Last of the Summer Wine.

If their new surroundings felt familiar to the buyers of a Holmfirth cottage, that’s hardly surprising, since it’s featured hundreds of times in one of Britain’s best-loved TV programmes.

Located in the heart of the Yorkshire village, the cottage once ‘belonged’ to Nora Batty, she of the wrinkled stockings and fearsome demeanour in Last of the Summer Wine.

The cottage, which was owned by Holmfirth-based businessman Neil Worthington, was being run as a holiday let, but it was as a let to a TV production company that provided the unique twist when it came to selling it recently.

The cottage was being run as a holiday let, but it was as a let to a TV production company that provided the unique twist when it came to selling it recently.The cottage was being run as a holiday let, but it was as a let to a TV production company that provided the unique twist when it came to selling it recently.
The cottage was being run as a holiday let, but it was as a let to a TV production company that provided the unique twist when it came to selling it recently.

“I have the house next door, from which I run my graphic design business, and when the cottage came onto the market some years ago, I bought it to expand my premises,” explained Neil. “But the BBC advised against doing that and suggested I let it to visitors who wanted the Nora Batty experience.

“The BBC let me have a load of props that had been used in the cottage during filming and so we put them in there and marketed it as a unique holiday let. We had people coming from all over the UK and all over the world to stay in Nora’s house. Because the show is repeated regularly on cable channels many people are still watching it, so it never lost its appeal, even though they stopped filming about 10 years ago.”

Last year, though, Neil decided to sell to free up capital for other business ventures, but was determined that the new owners would keep the cottage as it was, extending Nora’s stay in Holmfirth indefinitely.

He engaged the services of Leeds-based property firm Ernest Wilson to market his cottage to his requirements.

The BBC let me have a load of props that had been used in the cottage during filming and so we put them in there and marketed it as a unique holiday let."The BBC let me have a load of props that had been used in the cottage during filming and so we put them in there and marketed it as a unique holiday let."
The BBC let me have a load of props that had been used in the cottage during filming and so we put them in there and marketed it as a unique holiday let."

“I didn’t want someone who would simply convert it into a residential property and remove the years of history and emotion that I had put into making it successful,” said Neil. “Ernest Wilson understood that and were very careful about the marketing. They knew that if it became known it was up for sale, it could affect bookings, so there was no For Sale board or anything like that.

“In the end, they went for a national press release that DJ Chris Evans picked up on and featured in his radio show. It was from that publicity that a buyer was found.

“Ernest Wilson proved to be an agent that listened carefully to what I wanted and worked round that, even though it might have been easier to just market it in the normal way.”

Established in 1956, Ernest Wilson is a Leeds based firm that assists clients with the purchase and sale of businesses, offering agency services, finance options and support throughout the sale process.

Find out more by calling 0113 238 2900 or visit the website's hotel and holiday let section, www.ernest-wilson.co.uk/hotels

Related topics:BBCHolidaymakersYorkshireBritain