Spotlight on Kirkby Lonsdale
Lancashire Life|January 2020
The town stars in the Dolittle film coming out next month – but it’s a place that does an awful lot
Louise Bryning
Spotlight on Kirkby Lonsdale
Dr Dolittle could do much for Kirkby Lonsdale when a new film about him is released in the UK next month. Some scenes in the Dolittle film, starring Robert Downey Jnr, were shot in the town almost two years ago.

‘It was a fantastic experience,’ said John Strange who until recently ran the Crossing Point Cafe. ‘It was very exciting and I can’t wait to see the film.’

The cafe catered for the crew and, like all premises in Market Square, it was transformed for the movie, becoming Cropp & Watson Royal Hatters.

The film is a re-working of the classic Hugh Lofting book about an eccentric doctor who finds he can talk to animals. One scene, featuring a police chase involving a boy and a giraffe, is understood to be pivotal to the plot which is music to the ears of Kirkby Lonsdale’s town and tourism manager, Janet Nuttall.

‘It was great publicity at the time of the filming and will continue to be for years,’ said Janet. But it’s not the first time drama has come to Kirkby. In 2014, it featured in a television adaptation of Jamaica Inn.

The historic nature of the town, which is in Cumbria Council area yet has a Lancashire postcode and also lies in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, is one of its attractions. And heritage is the focus of many projects and events lined up for 2020.

Five of the information centre’s 30 volunteers have recently been trained as town guides to lead free Vault Walks. The walks start at The Vault, an innovative attraction which opened in 2018 at the information centre which is housed in a former bank. Visitors choose an item from The Vault, place it on a table and magically, audio-visual dramatizations of historic events in the town appear.

Denne historien er fra January 2020-utgaven av Lancashire Life.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra January 2020-utgaven av Lancashire Life.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA LANCASHIRE LIFESe alt
A Shopper's Paradise
Lancashire Life

A Shopper's Paradise

‘Anything is possible’ is the boast of a famous Knightsbridge shop and it could equally apply to Clitheroe, where shoppers come eager to pick up something just that little bit different, especially in the run-up to Christmas

time-read
6 mins  |
November 2020
Back from the brink?
Lancashire Life

Back from the brink?

There are signs hedgehog numbers might be recovering, and we can all do our bit to help them, says Alan Wright of Lancashire Wildlife Trust

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2020
Lancashire Life

Memories of a LANCASHIRE CHILDHOOD

Blackburn-born Sara Foster has had a string of bestsellers on the other side of the world. With her latest novel now out, she reflects on her Lancashire roots

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2020
The tale of BEATRIX'S VALLEY
Lancashire Life

The tale of BEATRIX'S VALLEY

Land once owned by Beatrix Potter is at the heart of a noisy row over how we enjoy the Lake District

time-read
6 mins  |
November 2020
Liverpool's pyramid scheme
Lancashire Life

Liverpool's pyramid scheme

We’ve seen the shape of things to come – and it’s a pyramid. But are you ready to spend the afterlife piled high with 34,591 other people in Toxteth?

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2020
Around the world in 2000 paintings
Lancashire Life

Around the world in 2000 paintings

Preston artist Martyn Hanks has spent 60 years globetrotting with his paints and brushes

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2020
WALKING THE BORDER
Lancashire Life

WALKING THE BORDER

This glorious walk in the hills around Earby takes a peek over the county line

time-read
7 mins  |
November 2020
We will remember them
Lancashire Life

We will remember them

For a hundred years the Cenotaph has been the focal point for a nation’s grief, but few know its connection to Kirkby Lonsdale

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2020
A pawfect day out
Lancashire Life

A pawfect day out

The grounds of Holker Hall at Cartmel are a favourite with human and canine visitors

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2020
A LEGACY of LOVE
Lancashire Life

A LEGACY of LOVE

An unusual war memorial in Lancaster is a haven for wildlife and young people from the city

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2020