Sunny Bank Mills Farsley: Emmerdale actor revisits historic Leeds filming location from his first soap scenes

Actor John Middleton, best known for his award-winning portrayal of vicar Ashley Thomas in the soap opera Emmerdale, visited Sunny Bank Mills in Farsley, where the show was filmed from 1988 to 1999.

John recalls many fond memories at the historic mill complex. He said: “I joined Emmerdale in 1994, first of all playing a police officer at the scene of the famous Emmerdale Post Office siege, before morphing into the Rev Ashley Thomas. No-one seemed to notice.

"At first, I was told Ashley would just be involved in hatches, matches and despatches, but he grew into a integral part of the series, culminating in his harrowing dementia and death in 2017. We filmed the siege episode behind the 1912 Mill – that was my first introduction to Sunny Bank Mills.

"The cast had some tremendous times here and it was a memorable experience filming in one of Yorkshire’s most historic textile mills. When we were filming, it was important to keep the noise down, which wasn’t always easy as we were working in a busy mill complex. So, when filming started, a very loud bell would ring out to ask everyone to be quiet, and that bell is still preserved on site today.

“It will probably come as no surprise to anybody that we used to unwind after filming in Farsley’s excellent pubs and it felt great to be part of the village community.”

The co-owner and managing director of Sunny Bank Mills, William Gaunt, said that decision to film Emmerdale and Heartbeat at the 1912 Mill saved it from demolition. He added: “The 1912 Mill is a crucial part of Sunny Bank Mills but it was under threat in the 1990s because it was a spinning mill and, by then, all our spinning had been outsourced. Had [they] not come along with a generous contract, following a chance conversation, the mill would have been razed to the ground.”

Sunny Bank is now celebrating the 10th anniversary of its programme of cultural regeneration. Across these years, the Gallery has hosted 75 exhibitions supporting more than 1,000 artists and makers, a popular Christmas market and more.