Latest news with #KeepingUpAppearances
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Unassuming house was seen by millions on beloved 90s BBC show – but would you recognise it?
The owner gets regular visits from fans of the show HOUSE ABOUT THAT Unassuming house was seen by millions on beloved 90s BBC show – but would you recognise it? Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A HOUSE which featured in a classic 90s sitcom seems inconspicuous in a sleepy town - but do you recognise it? Clue: The main character insisted her name was pronounced 'Bouqet'. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Homes featured in Keeping Up Appearances were filmed in Binley Woods in Coventry Credit: Google Maps 3 Dame Patricia Routledge as Hyacinth Bucket and Clive Swift as Richard Bucket Credit: BBC An unassuming house was seen by millions on the iconic comedy Keeping Up Appearances. The property is situated in Binley Woods, Coventry, and featured regularly on the BBC1 comedy. The show followed shameless social climber Hyacinth Bucket, who was played by Dame Patricia Routledge, now 96. Hyacinth was accompanied by her henpecked husband Richard, played by late acting legend Clive Smith. Next door to the Buckets lived upper-middle class characters Elizabeth, and her brother Emmet, with whom Hyacinth competed against. The show was written by Roy Clarke, who also penned Open All Hours, and ran between 1990 and 1995. It easily ranks as one of the UK's most treasured vintage comedies, and has been sold almost 1,000 times to overseas broadcasters. And the property where Elizabeth and Emet lived still remains, having gone on the market for £495,000 in 2019. The four bedroom detached house's exterior was visible to viewers of the show. Annabel Dixon, writing on property website Zoopla said: "Hyacinth was often name-dropping her sister Violet, who 'had a Mercedes, swimming pool, sauna and room for a pony.' Unassuming corner shop was seen by millions on classic 70s sitcom - but would you recognise it? "So the grande dame would surely approve of this unusual opportunity to snap up the home of her twitchy neighbours, Elizabeth and Emmett. "Its features include a landscaped garden, heated swimming pool, hot tub and wooden summer house.' The real life owner of the house where the Buckets lived in the show, Rosemary Healey, has lived in the property for 47 years. She told CoventryLive what it's like living in a house which was part of a cult classic: "I've been here for 45 years and I was at work when the BBC first came round to ask about filming at my home. "My son answered the door and told me they would come back the next day, which they did. "They had contacted estate agents in the city looking for a property to film as Hyacinth's home. "Mine was chosen because, before we had the extension, you could talk door-to-door with my next door neighbour." The show may be 35 years old, but Mrs Healy says this doesn't stop fans coming to pay a visit to the property. "We get lots of people coming to take photos and occasionally get people knocking on the door," she said. "It's never been a problem though." While the Binley Wood houses were used for external shots, most of the indoor scenes were filmed in a studio in London. Nearby Warwickshire town Leamington Spa was also used for some filming.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Unassuming house was seen by millions on beloved 90s BBC show – but would you recognise it?
A HOUSE which featured in a classic 90s sitcom seems inconspicuous in a sleepy town - but do you recognise it? Clue: The main character insisted her name was pronounced ' Bouqet '. 3 3 An unassuming house was seen by millions on the iconic comedy Keeping Up Appearances. The property is situated in Binley Woods, Coventry, and featured regularly on the BBC1 comedy. The show followed shameless social climber Hyacinth Bucket, who was played by Dame Patricia Routledge, now 96. Hyacinth was accompanied by her henpecked husband Richard, played by late acting legend Clive Smith. Next door to the Buckets lived upper-middle class characters Elizabeth, and her brother Emmet, with whom Hyacinth competed against. The show was written by Roy Clarke, who also penned Open All Hours, and ran between 1990 and 1995. It easily ranks as one of the UK's most treasured vintage comedies, and has been sold almost 1,000 times to overseas broadcasters. And the property where Elizabeth and Emet lived still remains, having gone on the market for £495,000 in 2019. The four bedroom detached house's exterior was visible to viewers of the show. Annabel Dixon, writing on property website Zoopla said: "Hyacinth was often name-dropping her sister Violet, who 'had a Mercedes, swimming pool, sauna and room for a pony.' Unassuming corner shop was seen by millions on classic 70s sitcom - but would you recognise it? "So the grande dame would surely approve of this unusual opportunity to snap up the home of her twitchy neighbours, Elizabeth and Emmett. "Its features include a landscaped garden, heated swimming pool, hot tub and wooden summer house.' The real life owner of the house where the Buckets lived in the show, Rosemary Healey, has lived in the property for 47 years. She told CoventryLive what it's like living in a house which was part of a cult classic: "I've been here for 45 years and I was at work when the BBC first came round to ask about filming at my home. "My son answered the door and told me they would come back the next day, which they did. "They had contacted estate agents in the city looking for a property to film as Hyacinth's home. "Mine was chosen because, before we had the extension, you could talk door-to-door with my next door neighbour." The show may be 35 years old, but Mrs Healy says this doesn't stop fans coming to pay a visit to the property. "We get lots of people coming to take photos and occasionally get people knocking on the door," she said. "It's never been a problem though." While the Binley Wood houses were used for external shots, most of the indoor scenes were filmed in a studio in London. Nearby Warwickshire town Leamington Spa was also used for some filming.
BBC News
15-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
What has happened to the closed Debenhams stores?
It has been four years since former British High Street giant Debenhams closed its final stores. The brand still exists online, but what remains of the hundreds of bricks and mortar shops that were once dotted across the UK?The once-loved department chain traded from its physical shops for more than 200 years and was still opening new ones as recently as the big stores slowly suffered from falling profits and rising debt as more shoppers moved online - before the coronavirus lockdowns signalled the death knell to Debenhams and many other its wake, town and city centres saw large parts of their High Streets become empty, but some stores have had a renaissance - including as bowling alleys and future lab News looks at what happened next with Debenhams' old shops across the East of England. From sitcom setting to student housing In the large market town of Northampton, a department store known as Adnitts - owned by the Adnitt Brothers - first opened on the Drapery in 1871. Eighty years later Debenhams purchased it and in the following years rebuilt the site, with its name eventually going above the door in the golden age of High Street shopping in 1991, the store became known to millions of TV viewers during an episode of popular BBC sitcom Keeping Up the celebrated scene, Hyacinth Bucket and her hapless husband Richard were forced to rescue "Daddy" from the store - while he was dressed as an astronaut. Some 30 years later, on 8 May 2021, the town centre store shut at the height of the Covid pandemic, but the empty spot left behind was to be short were soon lodged to demolish the building and create student accommodation in its local council approved the idea and the work was completed last nearby Abington Street, a similar fate awaits the former BHS and Marks and Spencer buildings, which later this year will be torn down to create more flats. A 'blight' on the town centre About 100 miles east in Ipswich, the former Debenhams store resided in a four-storey building in the heart of the town shop overlooked the Cornhill - a communal square that has received millions of pounds of investment in recent years, but the store that once boasted a games arcade on the top floor still sits empty and unloved, surrounded by metal borough council has described the vacant Waterloo House building as a "blight" on the town centre. The council claimed the building's owner, Unex, had rejected several applications from "well-known retailers" to take over the has been approached for comment, but previously said a pedestrianisation plan was needed to secure a decent shopper Callum Kempton told the BBC that the empty building had changed how he felt about his hometown."It felt so desolate seeing it disappear because it was the cornerstone for people coming in, and it just makes the town feel a lot emptier by not being there," he said. Neglected Norfolk stores Graffiti-covered boards decorate the former Debenhams store in Norwich city in the 1950s, the store has remained empty since 2021 following the chain's similarities with Northampton, developers have drawn up plans that would see most of the building knocked down to create student accommodation, with 407 rooms and shops on the ground Historic England has raised objections, saying the character of the city centre's conservative area would be harmed, with it being close to buildings such as Norwich application was lodged in January 2024, but a decision has yet to be made. In the west of the county, King's Lynn's town centre store also remains vacant. It was shut during the first lockdown and never reopened. Amanda Arterton, who owned a furniture store in the town for more than 30 years, described it at the time as a "great loss".In 2022, plans were revealed for the building that would see flats on the first and second floor and a retail space on the ground floor - but as the Lynn News recently reported, work has yet to take place. A lab space future In the centre of the university city of Cambridge, a more futuristic approach is on the it closed in 2021, the two-storey Debenhams was the biggest store in the city's Grafton are now plans to partly turn the shopping centre, which first opened in 1983, into office and lab space for the life science and Wright, the company designing the scheme, said the Grafton had been "in decline" over recent years."We identified areas that could be removed to allow for new development, including a vacant flagship Debenhams store and an underused entrance plaza," it said. Opponents argued the plans would impact views across the city, with the campaign group Friends of St Matthew's Piece describing the proposed buildings as "colossal new structures".But the redevelopment was approved and work is now under archaeological dig began at the site last month, which uncovered an unopened Victorian soft drink. Go-karting plan hits the brakes Plans to breathe new life into Colchester's former Debenhams have come and gone, with a developer pulling out of a vision to run go-karting, trampolining and mini golf over Culver Square in the heart of the Essex city, the shop was opened as one of its flagship retailers in its derelict setting has become almost inescapable since May 2021, with three permanently closed entrances spanning across three busy shopping has been a big blow for an area vying to justify the prestige of its city status, granted in 2022, after also losing Marks and Spencer and Next. Colchester City Council previously said leisure would be at the heart of revitalising the city centre, which it stressed was "on the up".But its ambitious vision for the former Debenhams has gone back to square leader David King said: "Working with residents and businesses, we can help make the best of change in our city, to ensure that – compared to many others – it continues to thrive." Bowling alley 'Bucks' the trend Lastly, in Buckinghamshire, the former ground floor of Debenhams in the shopping metropolis of Milton Keynes is now a wide-ranging entertainment was once a womenswear section is now a 12-lane bowling alley with arcades, a bar, dancefloor, roller rink and more. Sports Direct now occupies the other floors. The new venture - Lane 7 - has only been open since the middle of March, but staff have told the BBC it has been very busy. They said the former department store, which closed in 2020, was perfect for this kind of venue - with its 40,000 sq ft (3,716 sq m) size. On a busy day, about 2,300 people have been passing through the doors, with Friday nights and weekends proving most popular. Follow East of England news on X, Instagram and Facebook: BBC Beds, Herts & Bucks, BBC Cambridgeshire, BBC Essex, BBC Norfolk, BBC Northamptonshire or BBC Suffolk.
