| Population: 14809 | Grid Reference: SE116477 | Co-ordinates: 53.925,-1.822 |
Ilkley from Ilkley Moor
Iconic
spa town nestling below Ilkley Moor. The town is on the banks of the
River Wharfe where it is spanned by an early example of a suspension
bridge and the Old Bridge. The origins of Ilkley go back to the Bronze
Age where examples of carvings can be found at Hanginstone Quarry and
the Swastika Stone. The remains of a Roman fort occupies a site near
the town centre and three Anglo-Saxon crosses can be found inside All
Saints Church.
Ilkley became a spa town during the 19th Century and Charles Darwin published his book On the Origin of Species while undergoing hydropathic treatment at Ilkley. Other Victorian visitors to the town included Madame Tussaud, famous for her waxworks museum in London.
The town was linked to the railway system by the Midland Railway which ran to Skipton. Part of that line has been re-opened as the Embsay And Bolton Abbey Railway and it is hoped that trains will one day run to Ilkley again.
Much of the local economy is tourism with people using the town as a base from which to visit the Moor. The Victorian parades have a number of speciality shops selling fine wines, game, fashions and fine art. There is a branch of Bettys in Ilkley, famous for it's tearooms and Yorkshire Tea. Beer and ales are brewed at the Wharfedale Brewery which is based in the town.
Ilkley became a spa town during the 19th Century and Charles Darwin published his book On the Origin of Species while undergoing hydropathic treatment at Ilkley. Other Victorian visitors to the town included Madame Tussaud, famous for her waxworks museum in London.
The town was linked to the railway system by the Midland Railway which ran to Skipton. Part of that line has been re-opened as the Embsay And Bolton Abbey Railway and it is hoped that trains will one day run to Ilkley again.
Much of the local economy is tourism with people using the town as a base from which to visit the Moor. The Victorian parades have a number of speciality shops selling fine wines, game, fashions and fine art. There is a branch of Bettys in Ilkley, famous for it's tearooms and Yorkshire Tea. Beer and ales are brewed at the Wharfedale Brewery which is based in the town.
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