125 Years Ago - 1894

At the Otley Police Court yesterday, William Lambert was again charged with not sending his son, who is an incorrigible truant, to school. The Bench ordered the lad be sent to an industrial school.

William Sherwin, carter, of Boston Spa, was charged before the magistrates of Otley, yesterday, with driving without reins while in charge of two horses, in Main Street, Burley, on the 3rd inst. P. C. Robinson proved the case, and Bench imposed a fine of 2s. 6d., and 6s. 6d. costs.

100 Years Ago - 1919

Some of the large trees on public thoroughfares could be changed with advantage, though we do not favour promiscuous tree felling by any means. There is nothing gives greater charm to a landscape than trees, but we can have too much of a good thing even where trees are concerned, and their too luxuriant foliage excludes from many houses in Ilkley much in the way of light, sunshine and fresh air.

Stoker James Cook, a Ben Rhydding man in the Royal Navy, serving on H.M.S. Suffolk, writes to say that he received his Christmas parcel early in January while in port at Hong Kong (China). The parcel had followed him to Vladivostock (Siberia), where he was stationed about a year, then to Yokohama ( Japan), afterwards to Singapore (Staits Settlements, Malay Peninsula), and finally to Hong Kong. He says that with the exception of the cake the contents were in good condition, and thanks the Christmas Gifts Committee for their kindness.

75 Years Ago - 1944

Ilkley regards holiday crowds today from a somewhat different stand-point than in pre-war times. And certainly since the war, and particularly since petrol restrictions swept the cars off the road, Ilkley’s holiday crowds have been much smaller than those of peace times. But perhaps the very fact that there were no motor cars on the road and people had to do more walking, lead many of the older Ilkley residents to remark that the Easter holiday crowds this year reminded them very much of those of at least a generation ago.

Robin Wood, the fourteen-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Hubert S. Wood, of Ashen Croft, Ilkley, has returned home from Toronto, to which city of Canada he was evacuated four years ago. He has left behind his seventeen-year-old sister, Valerie, who is head girl of her school. Quite a number of other boys and girls from the Ilkley district were living in the same vicinity. Robin speaks with enthusiasm of the people of Toronto. Now he is looking forward to going to Sedbergh School.

50 Years Ago - 1969

Ilkley delegate Mrs. W. Rhodes and Miss E. Hiscocks reported on the Women’s Liberal Federation annual Council meeting at Torquay, to the Ilkley Women’s Liberal Association. They referred mainly to the address by the president Mrs Stina Robson. Mrs Robson said: “There is widespread disillusionment today both with politics and politicians. Wherever we look in all the industrialised world a larger part of the younger generation has become alienated from us. They reject not only our institutions but also our ideas. What we have done is to concentrate almost to the exclusion of everything else on the creation of the affluent Consumer Society.

A Civic Society of Otley was formed at a meeting in the White Swan Hotel on Wednesday night and one of the first actions of the new organisation was to reject the proposed Draft Town Centre Map for Otley in its present form.

25 Years Ago - 1994

A Georgian building which was once home to a village school is attracting keen interest in the property market. The former Burley Woodhead School, which has stood alongside the Moor Road for more than 200 years, has been on view this week to a host of potential buyers. Bradford Council is selling off the property because it is surplus to requirements.

Millions of directories and contact books face being rewritten next year when telephone numbers undergo the biggest shake up in more than 40 years. Phone users will need to insert an extra digit which is to be added to area codes in 12 months.