Milners of Leyburn

Milners of Leyburn, also known as C Milner & Sons, is a small family run department store in the market town of Leyburn, Wensleydale, England. The shop sells women's fashions, accessories, nightwear and bedding on the ground floor and has a 'Last Chance to Buy' basement. Milners Interiors, (on the first floor)provides a made to measure service in curtains, blinds and shutters and a selection of carpets and range of flooring.

The business was started in 1882 by Christopher Milner, hence the C in the name, with a shop in Hawes, and is now in its fifth generation in the family following the retirement of David Milner in March 2008.

The BBC made a television documentary series of three programmes, entitled 'The Department Store'. Produced by Richard Macer, it was about independent department stores and how they are surviving in the modern world in the face of stiff competition from chain stores. The first programme in the series, on Milners, was filmed by the BBC from September 2007 to April 2008. It was initially shown on BBC Four on 17 November 2008 and subsequently on BBC Two on 7 April 2009.

Leyburn

Coordinates: 54°18′32″N 1°49′44″W / 54.309°N 1.829°W / 54.309; -1.829

Leyburn is a market town and civil parish in the district of Richmondshire, North Yorkshire, England sitting above the northern bank of the River Ure in Wensleydale. Historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire, the name was derived from 'Ley' or 'Le' (clearing), and 'burn' (stream), meaning clearing by the stream. The town boasts two markets, several pubs, two banks with cash machines, and many small speciality stores. Market day is Friday. It is served by local buses that connect to Richmond, Hawes, Bedale and Northallerton. The local Rotary Club sponsors the annual Wensleydale Wander in March or April, organised walks of 12 miles (19 km) and 22 miles (35 km).

Town information and business

Leyburn had a population of 1,844 at the 2001 census, increasing to 2,183 at the 2011 Census, but this swells in summer with visitors to the Yorkshire Dales national park. Public services, with a primary school, a secondary school which serves the whole of Wensleydale, a police station and a medical centre. Several independently owned shops are situated around a market square with a number of pubs and bars. Shops include Tennant's auction house, a small department store called Milners of Leyburn, Campbell's supermarket, a chocolate shop, a range of oriental takeaways, electrical stores and a hunting and sports shop.