Locations

Location shooting was originally filmed in the village of Arncliffe in Littondale, a quiet valley in the Yorkshire Dales. The Falcon, the village hotel, served as the fictional Woolpack Inn. When the filming location became public it was moved to the village of Esholt in 1976, where it remained for 22 years.

Filming returned to Esholt for a one off episode in 2016 for the Ashley Thomas dementia special which aired December 2016. The location was used to represent Ashley's onset of dementia to the viewer.

The original Emmerdale Farm buildings are near the village of Leathley. Creskeld Hall, in Arthington, (Home Farm). The buildings are one of the few original filming locations used for the entire series, and have been involved in many storylines.

Construction of a purpose-built set began on the Harewood estate in 1996, and it has been used since 1997. The first scenes filmed on the set (the front of The Woolpack) were broadcast on 17 February 1998. The Harewood set is a replica of Esholt, with minor alterations.

The Harewood houses are timber-framed and stone-faced. The village is built on green-belt land, with its buildings classified as "temporary structures" which must be demolished within ten years unless new planning permission is received. There is no plan to demolish the set, and a new planning application has been drawn up. The set includes a church and churchyard, where the characters who have died on the series are buried.

Butlers Farm is Brookland Farm, a working farm in the nearby village of Eccup. Farmyard and building exteriors are filmed at Brookland, with interior house shots filmed in the studio.

Location filming is also done in the City of Leeds and other West Yorkshire locations; the fictional market town of Hotten is Otley, 10 miles North West of Leeds. Benton Park School in Rawdon and the primary school in Farnley were also used for filming. Interiors are primarily filmed at Yorkshire Television's Emmerdale Production Centre in Leeds, next to Yorkshire's Leeds Studios.[14] As of 28 March 2011, HD-capable studios in the ITV Studios building were used for most of the interior scenes.

Four farms have been featured on Emmerdale:

    "Original" Emmerdale Farm (1972–1993) – Belonged to the Sugden family for many years, until subsidence forced them to move. Filming location: Lindley House

    Hawthorn Cottage (1993–1997) – Matt and Peggy's former home, the second Emmerdale Farm, was sold and converted into a quarry. Filming location: Bank Side Farm

    Melby Farm (1997–2002) – A third Emmerdale Farm went bankrupt, and Jack moved into Annie's old cottage (Tenant’s Cottage) in the village. Filming location: Burden Head Farm

    Butler’s Farm (2003 to present) – Acquired by Andy Sugden and Katie Addyman in 2003 before the Bartons took over in 2009. Filming location: Brookland Farm