I have just finished watching the epic Channel 4 series A Woman of Substance, based on the novel by Barbara Taylor Bradford, and an updated version of an earlier dramatisation shown in 1984. The story charts the rise and rise of Emma Harte (played by Jessica Reynolds as the young Emma and Brenda Blethyn as the older Emma in the 1970s, now the wealthy owner of a prestigious department store).
There is one spectacular property which forms an integral part of the story, namely Fairley Hall, where Emma starts out working as a member of the Fairley family’s domestic staff. Later in the series, as Emma’s fortunes rise and she is out for revenge on the family, who have wronged her in multiple ways, she purchases the property and evicts the Fairleys.
The location used for Fairley Hall in both the 1984 version and the present-day one is Broughton Hall, a Grade I listed Georgian mansion on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales dating from 1597. The property is surrounded by the rewilded Broughton Estate, stretching over 3,000 acres and home to the Tempest family since 1097. The Hall is now called Broughton Sanctuary and has 17 bedrooms that can be booked by groups as well as a number of other accommodation options.
Broughton Hall - geograph.org.uk - 8118006. Photo by Peter McDermott, via Wikimedia Commons.
Map of the area.
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