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Ilkley Moor
Cow and Calf rocks
Elevation	402 m (1,319 ft)
Prominence	c. 244 metres (801 ft)
Parent peak	Thorpe Fell Top
Listing	Marilyn
Location
Location	West Yorkshire,  United Kingdom
OS grid	SE114452
Topo map	OS Landranger 104

Ilkley Moor is part of Rombalds Moor, the moorland between Ilkley and Keighley in West Yorkshire, England. The moor, which rises to 402 m (1,319 ft) above sea level is famous as the inspiration for the Yorkshire "county anthem" On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at.

Geology[link]

During the Carboniferous period (325 million years ago), Ilkley Moor was part of a sea level swampy area fed by meandering river channels coming from the north. The layers in the eroded bank faces of stream gullies in the area represent sea levels with various tides depositing different sorts of sediment. Over a long period of time the sediments were cemented and compacted into hard rock layers. Geological forces lifted and tilted the strata a little towards the south-east, producing many small fractures, or faults. Since the end of the Carboniferous time there has been erosion and more than a thousand metres of the coal-bearing rocks have been completely removed from the area. During the last million years, Ice Age glaciers modified the shape of the Wharfe valley, deepening it, smoothing it and leaving behind glacial debris.^[1] The millstone grit not only gives character to the town of Ilkley but gives the area its acid soils, heather moors, soft water and rocky scars.

History[link]

Ilkley Moor on a clear evening as the daylight falls.

To the north, where the moor drops steeply towards the village of Ben Rhydding, a satellite of the town of Ilkley, are two millstone grit rock climbing areas: Rocky Valley and Ilkley Quarry.

Ilkley Quarry is the site of the famous "Cow and Calf", a large rock formation consisting of an outcrop and boulder, also known as Hangingstone Rocks. The rocks are made of millstone grit, a variety of sandstone, and are so named because one is large, with the smaller one sitting close to it, like a cow and calf. Legend has it that there was once also a "bull", but that was quarried for stone during the spa town boom that Ilkley was part of in the 19th century. However, none of the local historians has provided any evidence of the Bull's existence.

According to legend, the Calf was split from the Cow when the giant Rombald was fleeing an enemy, and stamped on the rock as he leapt across the valley. The enemy, it is said, was his angry wife. She dropped the stones held in her skirt to form the local rock formation The Skirtful of Stones.

A photograph of the swastika stone alongside its replica carving and the view it overlooks from Woodhouse Crag.

In July 2006 a major fire on the moor left between a quarter and half of it destroyed.^[2]

Swastika Stone[link]

Located on the Woodhouse Crag, on the Northern edge of Ilkley Moor there is a swastika-shaped pattern engraved in a stone, known as the Swastika Stone,^[3] also referred to as a Fylfot. In the figure in the foreground of the picture is a 20th century replica; the original carving can be seen a little further away.

This stone is just one of a great abundance of carved rocks on the moor, well known others include the 'Badger Stone' and 'St. Margaret's Stones'. These are earthfast boulders, large flat slabs or prominent rocks that have cups, rings and grooves cut into them and thought to date from either the late Neolithic or the Bronze Age. While some carvings consist of simple cups, others such as the Badger Stone, Hanging Stones and the Panorama Rocks have complex series of patterns (or motifs) combining many different elements. Indeed Rombald's Moor can boast the second highest concentration of ancient carved stones in Europe, with carving as far away as Skipton Moor. There is also a small stone circle known as 'The Twelve Apostles'.

"The Ilkley Moor Alien" sighting[link]

In 1987 a retired policeman saw and photographed what he believed was an alien being on the Moor.^[4] The Daily Telegraph included this event in a 2011 list of "Top 10 UFO incidents in the UK".^[5]

Conservation[link]

The moor is designated as a national Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It also forms part of the South Pennine Moors Special Protection Area (SPA) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

References[link]

External links[link]

• "Ilkley Moor", Ilkley-town.co.uk.
• Friends of Ilkley Moor web site, Ilkleymoor.org

Coordinates: 53°54′54″N 1°48′54″W / 53.915°N 1.815°W / 53.915; -1.815

Coordinates: 53°55′30″N 1°49′19″W / 53.925°N 1.822°W / 53.925; -1.822

Ilkley
Ilkley town hall
Ilkley  Ilkley shown within West Yorkshire
Population	13,828 (2001 Census)
OS grid reference	SE116477
Civil parish	Ilkley
Metropolitan borough	City of Bradford
Metropolitan county	West Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ILKLEY
Postcode district	LS29
Dialling code	01943
Police	West Yorkshire
Fire	West Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
EU Parliament	Yorkshire and the Humber
UK Parliament	Keighley
List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire

Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the metropolitan borough of Bradford. Approximately 12 miles (19 km) north of Bradford, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe in Wharfedale, one of the Yorkshire Dales. The parish has a population of 13,828 (census 2001).^[1]

Ilkley's spa town heritage and surrounding countryside make tourism an important local industry. The town centre is characterised by Victorian architecture, wide streets and floral displays. Ilkley Moor, to the south of the town, is the subject of a folk song, often described as the unofficial anthem of Yorkshire, "On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at". The song's words are written in Yorkshire dialect, its title translated as "On Ilkley Moor without a hat."

History[link]

Bronze Age markings at Hangingstone Quarry, above Ilkley

The earliest evidence of habitation in the Ilkley area is flint arrowheads or microliths, dating to the Mesolithic period, from about 11,000 BC onwards.^[2] The area around Ilkley has been continuously settled since at least the early Bronze Age, around 1800 BC; more than 250 cup and ring marks, and swastika carvings dating to the period have been found on rock outcrops, and archaeological remains of dwellings are found on Ilkley Moor. A druidical stone circle, the Twelve Apostles Stone Circle, was constructed 2,000 years ago.^[2]

The remains of a Roman fort exist on a site near the centre of town. A number of authorities believe that the fort is Olicana,^[3] dating to 79 AD, but the identification is not settled. A number of Roman altars have been discovered dating to the reigns of Antoninus Pius (138 to 161), and Septimius Severus and his son Caracalla (211 to 217).^[4]

Three Anglo-Saxon crosses formerly in the churchyard of All Saints', but now inside the church to prevent erosion, date to the 8th century. The site of the church as a centre for Christian worship extends to 627 AD, and the present mainly Victorian era church incorporated medieval elements.^[5]

The Domesday Book, of 1086, records Ilkley (Ilecliue/Illecliue/Illiclei/Illicleia) as being in the possession of William de Percy 1st Baron Percy.^[6] The land was acquired by the Middelton family of Myddelton Lodge, from about a century after the time of William the Conqueror. The family lost possession through a series of land sales and mortgage repossessions over a period of about a hundred years from the early 19th century.^[7] The agents of William Middelton (1815–1885) were responsible for the design of the new town of Ilkley to replace the village which had stood there before.^[8]

In the 17th and 18th centuries the town gained a reputation for the efficacy of its water. In the 19th century it became established as a fashionable spa town, with the construction of Ben Rhydding Hydro, a Hydropathic Establishment at Wheatley, a mile to the east, between 1843 and 1844.^[9][10] Charles Darwin underwent hydropathic treatment at Wells House when his book On the Origin of Species was published on 24 November 1859, whilst staying with his family North View House (now Hillside Court).^[11] Tourists flocked to 'take the waters' and bathe in the cold water spring. Wheatley was renamed Ben Rhydding after the Hydro, which has been demolished.

The Manor House, Ilkley

Development based on the Hydro movement, and on the establishment of a number of convalescent homes and hospitals, was accelerated in August 1865 by the construction of the railway, the Otley and Ilkley Joint Railway, to the Leeds and Bradford Railway and the North Eastern Railway.^[12][13][14] A further connection was made in May 1888, by the Midland Railway, to Skipton via Bolton Abbey.^[13]

Other Victorian visitors to the town include Madame Tussaud.^[15] Today, the only remaining Hydro building is the white cottage known as White Wells House. The cottage can be seen and visited on the edge of the moor over-looking the town.^[16]

In the 20th and 21st centuries Ilkley has become a dormitory town for cities of Leeds and Bradford.

Governance[link]

The lowest unit of local government is Ilkley Parish Council. The parish consists of four wards and 14 councillors: Ilkley North (3 councillors), Ilkley South (3), Ilkley West (4) and Ben Rhydding (4).^[17] The council raises a precept which is collected with the annual Council Tax to fund its running and to aid the development of local projects.^[17] The parish is a ward within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford and is represented by three Conservative councillors.^[18]

Ilkley is part of the Keighley UK Parliament constituency whose seat is held by Kris Hopkins, Conservative MP,^[19] who replaced Ann Cryer and was elected in the 2010 general election. Ann Cryer was first elected in the General Election of 1997, and her late husband Bob Cryer held the seat between 1974 and 1983.^[20] Ilkley is in the Yorkshire and the Humber European constituency.^[19]

Before 1974 Ilkley was an urban district, a type of local government district.^[21] Ilkley Urban District Council shared local government responsibilities with the West Riding County Council.^[22] The Local Government Act 1972 dissolved urban districts and in 1974 Ilkley adopted its current status as a ward of the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford. Services provided by the urban district council are now run centrally by the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council.

Until 2006 Ilkley civil parish consisted of Ilkley ward, which includes Ben Rhydding, and the north half of Rombalds ward. The latter ward housed the villages of Burley-in-Wharfedale and Menston. The population of the parish in 2001 was therefore considerably higher than it is today, consisting of 24,954 residents. In 2006 Burley-in-Wharfedale and Menston established their own parishes and today Ilkley consists only of Ilkley ward (13,828 residents).

Geography[link]

The town partially straddles the River Wharfe in a valley, rising from the river at 230 feet (70 m) to 650 feet (200 m) above sea level, up Ilkley Moor (a bracken and heather covered moorland, with rocky outcrops, to the south) and to 540 feet (160 m) across Middleton Woods in the north.

The Old Bridge, Ilkley

Early winter snowfall on Railway Road in the town centre.

The river runs through the northern extent of the town from west to east, and is crossed by four bridges, in order: a 16th century three-arched stone bridge, now closed to road traffic; a 19th century single-span wrought-iron bridge; a suspension bridge for foot traffic only (a set of concrete stepping stones) and a prefabricated steel arched box-girder bridge. The river is prone to flooding the sports fields (and a few houses) that occupy the watermeadows.^[23]

Nearby are the North Yorkshire hamlets of Middleton (1 mile (1.6 km)), Denton (2.7 miles (4.3 km)) and Bolton Abbey (6 miles (9.7 km)); the villages of Addingham (3.1 miles (5.0 km)), Burley-in-Wharfedale (3.8 miles (6.1 km)) and Menston (5.4 miles (8.7 km)); and the towns of Guiseley (7.6 miles (12.2 km)) and Skipton (9.4 miles (15.1 km)).

The town is within the travel-to-work radius of Leeds and Bradford, Leeds is 18 miles (29 km) away and Bradford 15.6 miles (25.1 km) by road, with a railway connection offering about 35 trains to each destination per day from Ilkley station. The railway, before the Beeching axe, also connected to Addingham, Bolton Abbey, and Skipton to the west, and to Otley, Pool-in-Wharfedale, meeting the main Leeds to Harrogate line at Arthington.^[24]

Demographics[link]

A person from Ilkley is called an Olicanian which is derived from Olicana, thought to be the name of the Roman fort Ilkley is built upon. The ethnic make-up of Ilkley's population is 98.02% White, 0.74% mixed, 0.72% Asian, 0.37% Chinese or other ethnic group and 0.14% Black. The largest age group is 45 to 59-year olds (20.73%).^[25]

Economy[link]

The town is a tourist destination and is used as a base from which to explore the famous moor and the countryside beyond. Ilkley is a shopping town that sells everything from game, fine wine, expensive fashions and fine art. The Victorian parades of The Grove and Brook Street have a selection of speciality shops. The town's original Victorian arcade has been restored as an indoor shopping walkway complete with a fountain and hanging baskets. Bettys, the Yorkshire tea room, has a shop in the town.^[28] Ilkley has little by way of industry or commerce but employers include The Woolmark Company, Spooner Industries and NG Bailey.

According to the 2001 UK census, the industry of employment of residents aged 16–74 was 18.8% property and business services, 14.8% retail and wholesale, 13.4% education, 13.1% health and social work, 9.6% manufacturing, 5.7% finance, 4.8% construction, 4.8% public administration, 4.4% hotels and restaurants, 4.2% transport and communications, 0.6% energy and water supply, 0.5% agriculture, 0.1% mining, and 5.2% other. Compared with national figures, Ilkley town had a relatively high percentage of residents working in education and health and social work. The town had a relatively low percentage working in transport and communication and manufacturing.^[29] The census recorded the economic activity of residents aged 16–74, 2.2% students were with jobs, 3.7% students without jobs, 5.8% looking after home or family, 2.7% permanently sick or disabled, and 1.8% economically inactive for other reasons.^[26] Ilkley's 1.8% unemployment rate was low compared with the national rate of 3.3%. The City of Bradford has a relatively low proportion of people who were self employed compared to the whole of England, but Ilkley's rate of 11.9% was well above both the district and national figures.^[27]

Transport[link]

Ilkley lies on the A65 road, which runs between Leeds and Kendal. The nearest substantial motorways are the M62 at Bradford, and the M1 at Leeds, and the A1(M) at Wetherby. The civil parish is served by two railway stations: Ilkley terminus^[30] and Ben Rhydding.^[31] These are linked by the Wharfedale Line upon which trains run between Ilkley and Leeds/Bradford Forster Square stations.^[32]

From Ilkley bus station services run to Bradford, Keighley, Skipton, Malham and Otley. The main operators are First Leeds, Jacksons, Transdev Keighley and District and Pride of the Dales.^[33] Ilkley's nearest airport is Leeds Bradford International Airport.

Sport[link]

There is a wide variety of sports clubs and facilities in and around Ilkley. Notable clubs include the Ilkley Lawn Tennis and Squash Club, founded in 1880,^[34] which hosts an Ilkley Squash Open that has attracted world-class players such as Peter Barker;^[35] Ilkley Golf Club, Yorkshire's third oldest golf club founded in 1890,^[36] and where Colin Montgomerie for some years practiced the game;^[37] Ilkley Rugby Club; and Ilkley Harriers Athletics Club.^[38] There are a number of cricket, football, rugby and hockey teams. The nearby Ben Rhydding Sports Club in Ben Rhydding is the home of some of these teams, including the Ben Rhydding Hockey Club, founded in 1901.^[39] An Ilkley Karate club is run by former UK champion Mark Outterside.^[40]

Public facilities include indoor and outdoor swimming pools, and outdoor tennis courts at Ilkley's Lido. Constructed in 1935, it is one of only four public open-air swimming pools in Yorkshire^[41] and is a tourist attraction during the summer holiday season.^[42]

Culture and attractions[link]

Cow and Calf rocks

Old suspension bridge spanning the Wharfe in Ilkley.

Vibrant cherry blossoms adorn the river bank close to the town centre.

Ilkley town centre is a tourist attraction with a high proliferation of small independent shops. Of particular note is Lishman's of Ilkley, an award-winning butcher shop whose owner, David Lishman, became one of Rick Stein's superheroes in 2003.^[43] Ilkley is one of five towns to feature a Bettys tearoom and is home to the Michelin-starred Box Tree restaurant^[44] where Marco Pierre White trained. In 1991 Ilkley won the Entente Florale and in 1990 and 2004 the Britain in Bloom contest in the category of 'Town'. In 2006 Ilkley became a Fairtrade Town.^[45]

The Manor House, one of the town's oldest buildings, houses a museum and art gallery. The museum contains prehistoric artefacts and documents the Roman fort of Olicana – remains of which are exposed at the back of the building – as well as the rise of Ilkley as a Victorian spa town.^[46] Ilkley Toy Museum has a collection of toys dating from 350 BC and a collection of English wooden dolls.^[47]

The Grove, Ilkley's principal shopping street, designed with wide pavements for promenading

Ilkley's rural surroundings attract walkers and cyclists to the area. The landmark Cow and Calf rocks, which overlook the town on Ilkley Moor, consist of a large outcrop, which allegedly imitates a cow, and a boulder, which imitates a calf. The site is also visited for its rock climbing routes.^[48] The Old Bridge just outside the town centre is the official start to the Dales Way, an 84-mile (135 km) walk through the dales to Bowness-on-Windermere in the Lake District.^[49]

Darwin Gardens, to the south of the town, is a Millennium Green which commemorates the town's links with English naturalist Charles Darwin. The Green features a maze, whose design was influenced by the Swastika Stone carving, and includes monuments with an evolutionary theme.^[50]

Ilkley is home to the largest and oldest literary festival in the north of England, the Ilkley Literature Festival.^[51] The 1984 British comedy film A Private Function, written by Alan Bennett, was filmed in Ilkley and Ben Rhydding.^[52] The town was also one of the locations used for the 2003 British comedy film Calendar Girls.^[53] The Ilkley Gazette is the town's weekly newspaper.

Since 1969 Ilkley has been twinned with Coutances in France.^[54]

Education[link]

Higher education[link]

In 1975, David Gayle founded the Yorkshire Ballet Seminars which brought distinguished names in dance, like Alicia Markova, to Ilkley College of Education.^[55] In 1978, Ilkley College of Education merged with Bingley College of Education to become Ilkley College. In 1982, Ilkley College merged with Bradford College to become Bradford and Ilkley Community College.^[56] In 1999, the Ilkley campus of Bradford and Ilkley Community College closed despite opposition. The campus had occupied a 15.64 acres (6.33 ha) site at Wells House, which was sold for housing after its closure.^[57]

Schools[link]

A free school was first established in Ilkley by a Mr Marshall who in 1608 bequeathed £100 for its endowment.^[58] Current schools include four primary schools, All Saints C of E Primary School,^[59] Ashlands Primary School,^[60] Ben Rhydding Primary School,^[61] The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Ben Rhydding;^[62] two preparatory schools, Moorfield School for Girls,^[63] Westville House School, Middleton;^[64] and one secondary, Ilkley Grammar School.^[65]

Religion[link]

All Saints' Parish Church

According to Census 2001, 75.64% of Ilkley residents are Christian. The second largest group are people with no religion who account for 15.53% of residents. 7.48% did not state their religion and 1.34% fall into a variety of other religious groups.^[1]

Places of worship[link]

Ilkley's medieval parish church All Saints', largely reconstructed in the Victorian era, houses artefacts of the site's ancient Christian heritage including three Saxon crosses^[5] and today operates within the Anglican Communion. An expanding congregation in the 19th century triggered plans in 1873 for a second church which became St Margaret's Church, designed by Richard Norman Shaw and completed in 1879.^[66] Worship at the church is conducted in the Anglo-Catholic tradition^[67] and in 2005 was led by David Hope, Baron Hope of Thornes. When the Archbishop of York resigned he became vicar at Ilkley until his retirement in 2006.^[68]

Other places of worship in Ilkley include Ben Rhydding Methodist Church (Methodist), Christchurch (Methodist/United Reformed), Ilkley Baptist Church (Baptist), Kingdom Hall, Ilkley (Jehovah's Witnesses), St John's Parish Church, Ben Rhydding (Anglican), The Church of the Sacred Heart (Roman Catholic) and The Ilkley Society of Friends (Quaker). Churches Together in Ilkley exists to encourage co-operation amongst member churches.^[69]

Location grid[link]

		Middleton
	Addingham		Ben Rhydding
		Ilkley    East
		Eldwick

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ilkley

• List of people from Ilkley

References and notes[link]

External links[link]

• Ilkley Parish Council
• Ilkley.org
• Ilkley at the Open Directory Project