Introduction
It was time for another mega sojourn. To celebrate 40 years since the first transmission of Granada’s ‘The Return of Sherlock Holmes’, which picked up after Reichenbach with Edward Hardwicke replacing David Burke as Watson, the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes Podcast were holding another Brett Con, this time at the show’s base, Manchester. (I attended the first Brett Con in 2024, which helpfully for me was in Guildford). As part of the festivities, there was to be a Location Tour and a visit to the country house used in ‘The Dancing Men’ with the cast and crew of the episode. I therefore decided to spend the week leading up to the event, visiting other Granada locations in the general area.
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Day 1: Monday
Having spent the weekend with a friend in Nottinghamshire, I was able to catch an early train from Newark Northgate Station to York Station (a journey of around 45 minutes). The present York station was built during the 1870s after it had become clear that the old station, which could not facilitate through traffic due to its positioning, was a hindrance to long distance express services. It was built to be expansive and well-furnished from the onset, complete with a distinctive curved train shed. Upon its opening on 25th June 1877, it was the largest railway station in the world, possessing thirteen platforms along with various amenities, including a dedicated hotel.
The station appears early on in the film ‘The Seven Percent Solution’ (1976), being the station from which Holmes and Watson travel to the Continent. [The station’s overbridge also appears in ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ (2001) as the bridge at Kings’ Cross where Hagrid gives Harry his Hogwarts Express ticket].
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It was then a short walk to the National Railway Museum, where I made my way to the Great Hall where SECR D Class 4-4-0 No. 737, designed by H S Wainwright, built at Ashford in 1901, and withdrawn in 1956, was on display. This locomotive (along with LNWR ‘Precedent’ 2-4-0 No. 790 Hardwicke which is currently housed in the NRM’s sister museum, ‘Locomotion’ in Shildon, County Durham) appeared in the station scene in ‘The Seven Percent Solution’. (It also appeared in 'Chariots of Fire' (1981)) The museum also features a replica of ‘The Rocket’, ‘The Mallard’, and Queen Victoria’s Saloon Car.
Having spent the afternoon in central York and having dropped off my luggage at my guest house for the next three days, I made my way to York Castle Museum, which includes ‘Kirkgate’, a Victorian Street, as well as an original Hansom Cab parked on the street (Joseph Hansom having been born in York). The Cab which was built at John Marston’s coachworks in Birmingham has a Sherlockian connection as it was last used by the students of Watson’s literary agent, Arthur Conan Doyle’s alma mater, Stonyhurst College in Clitheroe.
Returning to my accommodation, I prepared for another day’s location spotting.
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Day 2: Tuesday
Catching the 09:14 train from York, I was arriving at Knaresborough Station just over twenty minutes later. I then got a cab to my destination, Allerton Castle, built by the premier Baron of England, Lord Mowbray, Segrave and Stourton in the 1840. It appeared in Granada's 'The Sign of Four' as the home of Major Sholto (Robin Hunter), Pondicherry Lodge, in the episode’s opening scenes, in Thaddeus Sholto (Ronald Lacey)’s tale of the treasure, and is also where Bartholomew Sholto (also Ronald Lacey) is found dead. Both exteriors and interiors appear in the episode. I therefore paid for entry and walked round, comparing my screenshots with the various rooms, managing to identify all but one, which may have been a studio set.
Making my way back to the main road, I got a cab back into central Knaresborough, going around the Castle and its associated Courthouse Museum (with a Tudor courtroom), before returning to the station and my train back to York.
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Day 3: Wednesday
An early start the next morning, found me catching a bus just after 7am from outside the station, travelling for 1½ hours to Pickering, and one of the terminuses of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. This station is a 1930’s themed station, with a magnificent roof structure which was recently re-instated to the same design as the original, built in 1847 by G T Andrews. Picking up my ‘All Day Rover’ from the ticket office, I managed to get some breakfast utilising a voucher that I had been given for making my ticket a Donation (costing me 10% more, but getting me a voucher worth 15%).
Having taken photos, I had a brief wander around the nearby moorland, having 1½ hours until the next train. Reboarding another diesel train, I made my way to the most famous station on the line, Goathland (visited by me on a previous occasion).
The filming started on 29th September 2000 (the first scenes filmed for the entire film), and production photography took place a few days later in October. They didn’t have to do much to transform this station, save cover up some Goathland wording on the benches, and most of the original features were kept.
The station also featured as Aidensfield station in the ITV programme ‘Heartbeat’, with the nearby village also featuring heavily. I managed to visit ‘Scripps Garage’, ‘The Aidensfield Arms’, ‘Aidensfield Post Office’, ‘Aidensfield Stores’, ‘Aidensfield Tea Rooms’, ‘Aidensfield Village Green’ and ‘Dr. Ferrenby’s Surgery’, all within the space of half-an-hour.
I made my way to ‘Sherlock’s Coffee Shop’ where I had a ‘Moriarty Smoothie’ and bought four coasters with Sherlockian quotes on, before struggling to get the Bram Stoker’s bench on the East Cliff due to roads being closed due to filming.
The afternoon was spent in a more in-depth ‘Dracula’ book locations tour, ending in the Whitby Abbey gift shop. I then caught a bus to nearby Scarborough, where I managed to see the latest Alan Ayckbourn play at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, before returning to York.
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Day 4: Friday
Having taken a day off to look for the Cottingley Fairies, I made my way from Bradford, my base for the night, to Manchester. Having left my luggage at Left Luggage at Manchester Piccadilly, I made my way back to Manchester Victoria, and the nearby Chetham’s Library, founded in 1653 and the oldest public library in the English-speaking world, which was the starting point for my booked ‘Granada Sherlock Holmes Location Tour’.
The group was so big that it needed to be broken into two, with each group having a guide who highlighted the history, with a Podcast member moving between the groups to show which scenes the library appears in. The library stacks upstairs where my group went first appears as Professor Moriarty’s (Eric Porter) base in both ‘The Red-Headed League’ and ‘The Final Problem’.
We then made our way into a side-room with an alcove with a desk in it that is known for being where, in the summer of 1845, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, spent several weeks studying together, work that ultimately resulted in the writing of ‘The Communist Manifesto’. However, the same desk and alcove, also appears in 'The Priory School’ being where the Duke of Holdernesse (Alan Howard) rises from to greet Holmes (Jeremy Brett) and Watson (Edward Hardwicke).
Moving downstairs, we moved along corridors that also appear in ‘The Priory School’, exiting into a courtyard where Holmes struggles with Moriarty’s men in ‘The Final Problem’, before entering another room used as part of the School.
Exiting the library, we all walked for around twenty-five minutes into the Deansgate area of Manchester, passing Forsyth’s Music Shop where Jeremy Brett obtained his violin, until we reached Castle Street, where scenes featuring Toby following the scent of creosote in ‘The Sign of Four’ were filmed. I had previously visited this site, but it was useful to have the exact filming location confirmed, as well as which part of the nearby towpath was used in the filming.
It was then a short walk to a nearby alleyway with a barbers and restaurant, which was the site of the murderous attack on Holmes in ‘The Illustrious Client’. This location had only recently been identified and so was new to all attendees.
Moving back towards the centre, we made our way to Albert Hall, a former Wesleyan Chapel now a Manchester music venue, whose basement was regularly used for filming, including Covent Garden Market in ‘The Blue Carbuncle’, the Women’s Liberation Meeting in ‘The Golden Pince-Nez’, and scenes in ‘The Eligible Bachelor’. Despite our tour leader banging on the door, staff vehemently refused to let us in.
Passing the Midland Hotel, where Brett stayed whilst filming, holding court, and Manchester Town Hall, still under repair, which appeared in multiple stories, we made our way to Sam’s Chop House, which appeared as the restaurant that Holmes was eating in prior to the attack in ‘The Illustrious Client’. The alleyway next door also appears in ‘The Bruce Partington Plans’ with a carriage being filmed driving through it.
This was the end of the tour, and I made haste to Manchester Piccadilly, catching a train to Cheadle Hulme, a fifteen minute journey. From here it was a twenty minute walk to Bramall Hall. This appeared as the home of the Ferguson family in ‘The Last Vampyre’, and was used for both exterior and interior shots. Unfortunately, a large part of the outside was under repair and covered in scaffolding, but I managed to take multiple photos.
Returning to Manchester Piccadilly, I picked up my luggage and checked into my accommodation, having just enough time to change before making my way out for my evening’s entertainment, taking place at the former site of the Granada Studios.
The first point of call was the Bonded Warehouse, which previously housed the Baker Street interiors. It is now a workspace venue and nothing of the inside remains, but the outside remains as it was during filming.
I then made my way to the events area of ‘The Crystal Maze Experience’ that is now located on the site of the studios for a ‘Dinner on Baker Street’. As part of this, a steam fire engine used in ‘The Norwood Builder’ had been brought down from the Fireground Museum in Rochdale (but not the main one previously seen by myself at the museum) and I got a photo with three of the real firemen who appeared in the episode. A quiz led by Maze-Master, ‘Sheerluck Holmes’ saw my table ('The Six Napoleons') roundly beaten (as only I seemed to have any idea of answers), but I had a great time speaking to other Brettons, even if we didn't seem to have a member of cast or crew on our table.
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Day 5: Sunday
Having spent the previous day at ‘Brett Con 2026’ itself, I had opted for the second of two location coach trips to Leighton Hall, the real life setting for Ridling Thorpe Manor in ’The Dancing Men’, with a reunion of cast and crew. Waiting at the pick-up point for the 1.15pm start, the coach was late and we hit traffic coming out of Manchester. However, we still reached the Hall at around 3.15pm, sweeping down the drive familiar from the episode to the Hall which was instantly recognisable.
Due to two of the guests having to go early, the group photo was taken almost immediately, but not before I managed to get photos with the two guests that were due to leave soon – David Ross (Inspector Martin) & Paul Jaynes (Walker).
We then made our way to the Music Room for a panel with Betsy Brantley (Elsie Cubitt), Wendy Jane Walker (Saunders), Ross and Jaynes, before the episode itself was screened, after a brief recorded interview with Eugene Lipinski (Abe Slaney) who had been unable to attend.
It was then time for tea in the Conservatory, with Brantley and Walker signing and posing for photos (with pre-signed photos of Ross and Jaynes available).
Having got my autographs and photos, I joined Suzie Reynolds, owner of the Hall, for a tour of all the rooms used in the filming, including one where they kept the curtains from filming after a minor china item was broken, and the ground floor window that Holmes famously climbs out of. There were also letters from Jeremy Brett and director John Bruce (the latter in ‘Dancing Men’ code) to the family on display.
I then moved into the gardens, finding the bench from the story (with a DM message), as well as the areas seen at the start of the episode.
It was then time to get back on the coach for the 80 minute trip back to Manchester. As we sped back along the M6, I mused on visiting ten Granada filming locations in five days (along with ones from ‘The Seven Percent Solution’, ‘Harry Potter’ & ‘Heartbeat’, and even a Hansom Cab that Conan Doyle may have used).
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