The ambitious effort to breathe life back into a corner of North Yorkshire continues in the second episode of Our Yorkshire Shop: A Victorian Restoration, airing on Channel 4 at 8:00 PM GMT. The series is tracking a group of volunteers in the market town of Masham as they attempt to restore a derelict grocer’s shop to its Victorian-era state, complete with a working café and bakery. The goal is straightforward: to create a community hub that can help revitalize the local high street.
Three weeks into the project, the focus shifts from demolition to detail. With the structure secured, the volunteers turn their attention to stocking the shelves with locally sourced goods that fit the historical theme. The episode follows the hunt for handmade candles, flour from a nearby medieval watermill, and natural oil soaps. It’s a practical look at building a business from the ground up while staying true to a specific historical aesthetic.
Meanwhile, the human elements of the restoration come into view. One volunteer, Ian, tries to resurrect the farmhouse skill of butter churning, a task that proves more difficult than expected. Keeping the sprawling project on schedule is retired police inspector Val Broadley, whose organizational skills are put to the test as the team tackles the transformation of the old café space and gives the shop’s massive Victorian oven a much-needed cleaning. It’s a quiet, grounded look at community action in practice.
