Herriot vet museum

The world's most famous veterinary surgery is to be turned into a museum and visitor centre. The Georgian building in Thirsk, north Yorkshire, was the practice of the local vet Alf Wight for 50 years.

He was better known as James Herriot, the author of All Creatures Great and Small.

Now Hambleton District Council is understood to have paid pounds 225,000 for the building which already attracts thousands of visitors a year.

Mr Wight died last year leaving more than pounds 5m. His senior partner, Donald Sinclair (Siegfried in the books), died a few months later. The council has bought the building from Mr Sinclair's family.

Pat O'Brien, the council's acting chief executive, said he was "confident that Thirsk can readily sustain a museum and visitors' centre of this type . . . James Herriot charmed the world with his stories".

The museum will include photographs and memorabilia. There may also be re-creations of the interiors built for the BBC television series of the books.