'I visited the beautiful northern city locals call the UK's answer to Hollywood'

Not long ago, few people would have heard of Anne Lister, let alone Shibden Hall where she lived. But the BBC drama Gentleman Jack – which charted Anne’s colourful life – changed all that. Anne was a shrewd 18th-century businesswoman and landowner who left meticulously kept diaries.

In a bid to conceal her lesbian affairs, some passages were coded. Later cracked, they were used as a basis for Gentleman Jack. After the show – starring Suranne Jones – was televised, visitor numbers to the stately home trebled, creating a mini tourist boom in Halifax, West Yorkshire , where’s it’s located.

Used as a set for some of the series, Shibden Hall is now Grade II-listed and a must-see for visitors to Halifax . Dating back to 1420, it’s beautifully preserved and contains much original furniture including an early flushing toilet installed in 1937 for a visit by King George VI. Movies Wuthering Heights and Peterloo, plus BBC1 drama To Walk Invisible were also filmed there.

In fact filming in Halifax has become so common that locals call it Britain’s answer to Hollywood – or Haliwood. Samuel L Jackson recorded part of the Marvel TV series Secret Invasion at The Piece Hall in the town. The recent Full Monty series, starring the original cast including Robert Carlyle, was filmed in the area.

Cameras rolled there for Channel 4 drama Ackley Bridge plus old favourites Last of the Summer Wine, Brassed Off, Red Riding and Last Tango in Halifax. And Sarah Lancashire and James N.