We live in ‘REAL Emmerdale village’ with iconic Woolpack pub… but visitors are always disappointed for same reason

RESIDENTS in the “REAL Emmerdale village” say soap fans are keen to visit… but always leave disappointed.

The ITV soap was filmed in Esholt, West Yorkshire, for more than 20 years.

The area’s iconic Woolpack pub survived a plane crash and a horror explosion in the show – but it has now fallen victim to the cost-of-living crisis.

Last orders were served in 190-year-old boozer.

The sudden closure has led to frustration in the picture-postcard village, with even the local MP called in to help reopen The Woolpack.

In a letter to Philip Davies MP, resident Andy Blackwell said: “We villagers have just had a proper landlord removed to due to excessive and unaffordable rents.

“Please do everything possible to help our pub open again.”

Mr Blackwell, 76, told The Celeb Report Online: “People travel from all over for a beer at The Woolpack.

“They’re devastated it has closed. We’ve had people turn up from all over who have had no idea that it’s shut and been really disappointed.

“It’s such a shame that it has closed. The beer was great. The landlord was great.

“The pub was on the up but then the rents got whacked up. It was just impossible to keep up.

“It’s a crying shame for the village because we only have the pub, the post office and the church.

“The pub was the hub of the community – something needs to be done.”

The Woolpack became one of the world’s most famous pubs as the soap beamed out to 68 countries.

Although filming switched to a custom studio in 1996, visitors still flocked to the boozer from countries including Finland, Japan, Canada and New Zealand.

A shop opposite the pub sells Emmerdale trinkets including Cain Dingle keyrings, Woolpack birthday cards and soap postage stamps.

Gareth Ritterband, 78, told how a string of landlords had tried and failed to make The Woolpack a success after its Emmerdale fame.

He said: “A lot of people have tried to make a fist of it.

“Some have been good, some have been terrible.

“The problem really is that the summer can be very busy with tourists but in winter, there’s not many people here.

“The last landlord was really good. He seemed to be getting it going again and a lot of the locals had started visiting.

“But then Stonegate, which owns the pub, put the rent and beer up – and that was that.

“It’s a shame because a village like this needs a pub.”

Friends Lynne Gatehouse, 60, and Angela Hamilton, 50, arrived at the The Woolpack only to find a note reading: “Sorry this pub is closed at the moment”.

Lynne, from Keighley, West Yorkshire, said: “It’s such an iconic pub.

“It’s a shame that it has closed – we would have loved to have gone inside.”

The Woolpack was purchased by Bradford Council in 2004 to preserve its charm but is now owned by the Stonegate Group.

An advert for a new publican claims the pub is capable of turning over £392,000 a year.

The listing reads: “This significant and attractive stone-built character property, formerly on the iconic TV set of Emmerdale and whose fascia was used for many years in the filming is now available.

“Its delightful village location means that the pub has a regular and loyal customer base, as well as plenty of year-round passing trade from tourists and coach parties, making this an outstanding business opportunity.”

In its fictional life, the iconic boozer went up in flames in 2021 when landlord Al Chapman couldn’t afford the pub renovations or rising debts.

Years after the TV crews moved out it saw its own real-life drama in 2003 when two men broke into the bar and threatened then landlord Brian Pickard and his wife Jenny.

It comes after an EastEnders fan revealed what life is like in the real neighbourhood which inspired Walford – and it couldn’t be more different to the show.

Properties in Hackney’s Fassett Square, the real-life street which inspired Albert Square, now fetch just shy of £1million.