A slice of British cinema history is heading to the auction block this month as the Barnsley fish and chip shop featured in the 1969 classic Kes goes up for sale. Casper’s Fish & Chips on Princess Street in Hoyland, where the young protagonist Billy Casper famously spent his brother’s betting money, is being offered as part of a mixed-use investment with a guide price of £160,000.
The detached property, which has operated as a chippy since 1914, found national fame in Ken Loach’s masterpiece based on the novel by Barnsley author Barry Hines. In the film’s standout scene, Billy decides to treat himself to a bag of chips after skipping a trip to the bookies, and the shop remains a landmark for film enthusiasts over 50 years later.
While the Kes connection provides a unique claim to fame, the building is also a fully let investment producing £25,200 annually. The lot includes the chip shop itself, currently on a nine-year lease, alongside a fully let three-room residential property and a separate two-storey brick workshop at the rear.
James Vandenbrook, associate director at BTG Eddisons Property Auctions, commented:
“Casper’s Fish & Chips is a well-known local business in its own right, but its appearance in such an iconic film gives the property a unique added level of interest. Combined with the residential accommodation and additional workshop space, it makes for an attractive mixed-use investment opportunity. The property is part of UK cinema history: Kes, which was mostly filmed in and around Barnsley, is still one of the most celebrated British films ever made and continues to have a strong following more than 50 years after its release.”
The online auction is set to take place on 24 March, hosted by BTG Eddisons Property Auctions—the new unified brand for Pugh, SDL Property Auctions, and Mark Jenkinson. The sale brings together a century of local heritage and a legendary piece of South Yorkshire’s cultural identity.
