Emmerdale first aired in October 1972, but where was it filmed? As the soap continued to deliver high-stakes drama to its fanbase of millions, locations have changed over the years.
The iconic ITV soap is set in the eponymous Yorkshire village.
With its distinctive stone buildings, quaint streets and lush countryside setting, Emmerdale’s exterior has become as familiar as the characters who live there.
But you may wonder where Emmerdale is filmed. Is it an actual village or a purpose-built set?
And what about all those gorgeous properties? Is there a real-life owner of Home Farm?
We’ve got the answers all covered.
Where is Emmerdale filmed?
Emmerdale is mostly shot on a purpose-built set. It is located on Harewood House Estate in West Yorkshire.
Harewood is owned by The Earl and Countess of Harewood. It’s situated a short drive away from the centre of Leeds and Harrogate.
The grand estate has also been used to film other dramas, including ITV smash hit Downton Abbey.
Emmerdale’s current set is a replica of Esholt, a West Yorkshire village which was once used to film all the external shots – but more on that later.
The majority of the interior filming – locals’ homes, businesses, and of course, The Woolpack are done at the ITV studios in Leeds.
Occasionally the villagers will venture out into the fictional town of Hotten. These scenes are actually shot in the real-life town of nearby Otley.
Are any of the houses in Emmerdale real?
Home Farm, Wishing Well, Mulberry Cottage, Butlers Farm – they’re all properties in Emmerdale that have become just as famous as the residents who inhabit them.
But are any of the houses on the Yorkshire soap actually real?
The answer is, no.
Sadly these properties aren’t actual homes, and it’s only their exteriors that are used on the soap.
Most of these properties are empty shells, but others are often used by the Emmerdale filming crew to store surplus equipment or have a quick tea break between scene takes.
Here’s a fun fact though. Both the church and town hall are actual buildings and filming takes place in both.
Eagle-eyed viewers may have also spotted there’s one home in Emmerdale that no character has ever lived in, and that’s Oakley.
Located right next to Mulberry Cottage and the entrance to the village, this property is a designated place for the crew’s props.
The original village where Emmerdale was filmed
When Emmerdale started in 1972, the Yorkshire Dales village of Arncliffe was used as the external set.
The Falcon pub in Arncliffe was used for the external shots of The Woolpack from the first episode. It remains a working pub to this day.
In 1976, after four years at Arncliffe, Emmerdale’s filming was switched to the real-life village of Esholt, near Bradford.
It remained there until 1997. By this point the residents of Esholt were keen to get their home back, away from all the cameras and relentless filming schedule.
The decision was made to build a life-size replica of Esholt on the private Harewood Estate in Leeds so that more episodes could be made.
Esholt still remains a tourist hot spot. The Commercial Pub has now been renamed The Woolpack in honour of the years it spent pretending to be one of the nation’s most famous boozers.
Arncliffe is also a destination for fans who want to visit the place where it all began. It is just over an hour’s drive from Esholt.
The buildings and locations of Emmerdale
Home Farm
Home Farm in Emmerdale is a grand 17th century property with 11 bedrooms and acres of land. Located about half a mile from the village, it is part of the Home Farm Estate. And of course the current owner and lady of the manor is Kim Tate, who has lived there on and off since 1989.
She first moved in with husband Frank Tate and his children Chris and Zoe. The house has seen much drama, including Kim watching Frank die from a heart attack and Chris taking his own life and framing Charity Dingle for murder.
Other tenants have included the King family and the White family. But the Tates – specifically Kim – will always be the rightful owners of the manor.
The Woolpack
The beating heart of Emmerdale village, the Woolpack is the iconic pub. Known as the Woolie to locals and fans, a lot has happened in the boozer over the years – some of it good, some bad and some very ugly!
First seen on screen in 1972, the pub was run by the longest serving landlord to date, Amos Brearly. He ran the place for 43 years, until ill health forced him out in 1991. Since then it has changed hands many times.
The Woolpack’s current owners are Charity Dingle and her son Ryan Stocks. They took over in February 2022. Chas Dingle, previous owner, is the manager and lives on the premises.
The Woolpack has seen it all – from Tricia’s tragic death in 2003 to Cameron’s siege in 2013 and Al Chapman burning the place to the ground in 2021- it’s the heart of the village drama for a reason!
Butlers Farm
Currently home to Moira and Cain Dingle, Butlers Farm has a long history. The 157-acre working farm was built around 1800 and is situated a short distance from the main village.
Butlers is an important piece of the village’s past. Many farming scenes have been shown here in a nod to the history of Emmerdale’s beginnings as a farming serial.
Kim Tate bought the farm from Moira Dingle in 2023. However Moira still owns the farmhouse of Butlers and the field where daughter Holly is buried. She and husband Cain live there with their family.
Exterior location shooting for Butlers Farm scenes is done at Brookland Farm, which is in the village of Eccup.
Café Main Street
Brenda Walker and Nicola King are the proprietors of Café Main Street, which is where you’ll find the locals of Emmerdale enjoying a cuppa and a catch up. It used to be the village shop and Post Office, but became a cafe in 2011.
The café is (unsurprisingly!) situated on Main Street. As well as Brenda and Nicola, Nicola’s husband Jimmy and dad Rodney are often serving up the cakes and beverages.
When it was a Post Office, it was run by Viv and Vic Windsor. But Vic was tragically shot dead in a robbery on Christmas Day 1998. Tragedy struck again in 2011 when Viv and her friend Terry Woods were killed in a fire in the building. That’s when her widower Bob decided to run it exclusively as a cafe.
David’s shop
The village shop, David’s sells everything from a pint of milk to artisan goodies and personalised jute bags. Arguably half of the village wouldn’t have so many money troubles if they didn’t do their weekly shop at David’s!
It was given the name by former owner, David Metcalfe, who was in charge from 2015 until his departure from the Dales in 2023. It’s now run by his dad, Eric Pollard, who bought the place to bail David out of a lot of debt.
Many years ago, David’s was actually Rodney’s antique’s barn. However when the Wyldes arrived in town they turned it into the village store: Wyldes Home Farm Fayre. Other owners have included Leyla Harding and Carly Hope (briefly).
Wishing Well Cottage
The Dingle family live in Wishing Well Cottage in Emmerdale and have been there since at least 1967, before the show even aired.
Sam Dingle is the current head of the home, having lived there since he his arrival in the Dales in 1995. He lives at Wishing Well with his wife Lydia Dingle, son Samson Dingle, his cousin Mandy Dingle and her son Vinny Dingle. And of course, don’t forget the Dingle family dog, Monty.
Of course, from 1995, the head of the household was Zak Dingle, who lived there with wife Nellie, Sam and other children, Butch and Tina. Marlon and Mandy moved in in 1996, following Nellie’s departure. And Lisa, the true heart of the house, moved in the same year.
The Grange B&B
The Grange B&B in Emmerdale has been open since 2002 and offers tourists, and on a pretty regular basis, villagers, a place to stay. Bob Hope and Nicola King are the joint owners, but has changed hands many times over the years. ?The longest-serving owner is Eric Pollard who took over in 2008 and only sold up in 2022.
It’s also been the scene of a grisly murder – or two – but just don’t tell the guests! Both Terence Turner and Gerry Roberts met their maker at the B&B – Terence killed by Adam Forsythe and Gerry by serial killer Lachlan White.
Keepers Cottage
Keepers Cottage in Emmerdale is one of the village’s most iconic locations. So many Dale icons have lived there from Paddy Kirk to Betty Eagleton and Laurel Thomas.
Now it’s owned by Victoria Sugden, who’s just persuaded new-found half-brother John to move in too. It’s also home to Vic’s son Harry, mates Amy and Matty Barton and Amy’s mum Kerry Wyatt. It might be quite a squash!
Can you visit the set where Emmerdale is filmed?
Yes! There are lots of ways that fans can visit Emmerdale’s past – and present – filming locations.
On selected dates when the cast and crew aren’t filming at Harewood, members of the public can purchase tickets for a special Emmerdale Village guided tour.
There are plenty of landmarks to admire – including The Grange B&B, Café Main Street, David’s Shop and of course, the beloved Woolpack.
Unfortunately you won’t be able to walk through those famous pub doors because it’s only used for exterior filming, and the real Woolie set is in the Leeds studio.
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm.
Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.30pm and 2.05pm.