Where do the Dingles live? The history of Wishing Well Cottage

Wishing Well Cottage in Emmerdale is home to the iconic Dingle family, and a house which holds a lot of history.

It’s been the Dingles’ dwelling since at least 1967, and over the years has provided a roof over the head for countless members of the clan.

Located on Robblesfield Way, Wishing Well is far from a perfect looking home. It’s messy and packed to the brim with old clutter but is full of love.

Sam Dingle is the current head of the home, having lived there since he his arrival in the Dales in 1995.

Sam lives at Wishing Well with his wife Lydia Dingle, son Samson Dingle, his cousin Mandy Dingle and her son Vinny Dingle.

And of course, who could forget the Dingle family dog, Monty.

The extensive list of former residents include Marlon Dingle, Charity Dingle, Paddy Kirk and Cain Dingle.

The history of Wishing Well Cottage in Emmerdale

Wishing Well Cottage started life as a barn and was part of the neighbouring Holdgate Farm. The property was originally rented out to the Dingles by Mr Holdgate.

After Mr Holdgate’s death in 1995, Home Farm owner Frank Tate purchased Holdgate Farm and became the new owner of the barn. He attempted to evict the Dingles, but was met with resistance from many of the villagers.

Frank eventually backed down and allowed the Dingles to stay, at which point the house became its own property and was named Wishing Well Cottage by Dingle matriarch Nellie.

The comings and goings of Wishing Well Cottage in Emmerdale

The Dingle family home was first seen on screen in 1995. At that time, husband and wife Zak and Nellie Dingle lived there with their children, Butch, Sam and Tina.

Nellie departed for Ireland that same year, and never returned.

In 1996, cousins Marlon and Mandy Dingle moved into the house, closely followed by Zak’s new love interest Lisa Clegg, who went on to become his wife.

Local vet Paddy Kirk also lived at Wishing Well while he was dating Mandy.

A child is born

Christmas Day 1998 at Wishing Well was one to remember. Lisa, who didn’t even know she was expecting a baby, popped out to care for one of their poorly pigs and went into labour in the middle of the sty.

Paddy Kirk came to her rescue and helped Lisa safely deliver a little girl into the world, who she and proud dad Zak named Belle.

More Dingles arrive

Zak’s brother Shadrach was the next Dingle to rock up on the doorstep at Wishing Well Cottage.

And then came cousins Charity and Cain Dingle, who both lived at the property on and off for six years.

After Charity and Cain’s teenage daughter Debbie moved out in 2006, the Dingles turned her old bedroom into a self-contained flat.

The separate living space was for Sam Dingle, and his wife Alice, to raise their newborn son Samson in.

Save our home

The Dingles came close to losing their beloved home in January 2018 when another one of the Tate family plotted against them.

This time it was Joe Tate, who made plans to demolish Wishing Well Cottage in order to make way for an access road to a new golf course.

Joe threw a party at Home Farm to keep locals distracted while the property was being destroyed. But tragedy almost struck when young

Noah and Samson Dingle got trapped inside the house as the bulldozers began to tear the place down. Thankfully, Graham Foster came to the kids rescue and attacked the contractors to stop the demolition going ahead.

He and Eric Pollard then saved the day by rescuing Noah and Samson, and the Dingles’ abode was once again safe.

Lisa’s sad goodbye at Wishing Well Cottage

There wasn’t a dry eye in Wishing Well when Lisa passed away peacefully in May 2019.

She had been diagnosed with a condition called amyloidosis and told she would probably only have months left to live.

With time so precious, Lisa and Zak tied the knot.

But their happiness wasn’t to last when Zak discovered Lisa had slipped away quietly in her favourite comfy armchair.

Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm.

Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm.