SO you think you know about Ilkley?

Perhaps a new book will make you think again. Mark Hunnebell’s A-Z Of Ilkley Places-People-History is a treasure trove of fascinating facts about the town, out now from Amberley Publishing.

Mark is a local historian and author of That Place on Ilkley Moor. He has hosted fringe events with the Ilkley Literature Festival about the book at his home White Wells.

This month Mark will be talking about his new book at a Friends of the Festival event, part of Ilkley Literature Festival, on October 13, and at the Grove Bookshop on October 25 at 7pm. Then on November 17 he’s at Ilkley Library at 11am.

There’s plenty to go at for his new book. His publishers tell us what we already know about Ilkley: “There is evidence of human settlement at Ilkley in prehistoric and Roman times but the town grew rapidly in the nineteenth century when it became well known as a fashionable spa town, accessible to visitors by the new railway system. The town’s Victorian legacy is still in evidence in many of its buildings, enhanced by its wide streets and floral displays.”

But what don’t we know? They say: “This fascinating A to Z tour focuses largely, but not exclusively, on Ilkley’s history during the twentieth century; its interesting people, places and events. It is fully illustrated and will appeal to all those with an interest in this Yorkshire spa town.”

Here are a few choice excerpts from Mark’s book.

B is for… Brook Street. The rise in the number of motor vehicles in the early decades of the twentieth century inevitably led to minor mishaps. During the First World War 20-year-old Ilkley resident Clara Hunnebell got a mention in the local paper in July 1917: Clara Hunnebell, daughter of Mrs Hunnebell, Wellington Road, was knocked down by a motor car at the top of Brook Street about noon on Tuesday (10th) but fortunately was not seriously injured, although much bruised and shaken.

C is for… Christmas. Particularly white ones. There were 15 white Christmases recorded in Ilkley between 1869 and 2022 – around 10 per cent. These were: 1869, 1870, 1874, 1876, 1878, 1890, 1895, 1899, 1906, 1923, 1927, 1938, 1956, 2009 and 2010. There were near misses in some other years too with 1887, 1917, 1918, 1919 and 1950 being reported as having snow on the moors but not in the town.

C is for… Crocodile’s Mouth. The prominent local landmark the ‘Crocodile’s Mouth’ is best viewed from the wooden bridge across Backstone Beck on the footpath between the Tarn and the Cow and Calf Rocks.

F is for… Fairy Dell. A little-visited feature in the locality, ‘Fairy Dell’ sits below the dam of March Ghyll Reservoir on the northern slopes of the valley and is bordered by farmland to the west, south and east with open moorland to the north. A public footpath runs through the dell linking Middleton with Denton.

H is for… Highfield Hotel. The familiar rocks overlooking Ben Rhydding have been a popular attraction for visitors since the middle of the 19th century. The nearby Highfield Hotel had been established around the turn of the 20th century and although not a ‘Hydro’, it was popular with walkers and visitors to the Cow and Calf Rocks. It was sold in 1948 and became the familiar Cow and Calf Hotel still popular today.

I is for… Ice Wheel. The ‘Crum Wheel’ is popular with visitors during the summer months but during winters past it was renowned for the ‘Ice Wheel’ that formed on this section of the River Wharfe. The bend in the river at this point creates very strong undercurrents and as the ice on the frozen river cracked a ‘wheel’ could be seen rotating on the surface.

L is for… Leeds Road. The main route into Ilkley from the east is designated as the A65. Before the arrival of the railway in 1865 a coach service connected Ilkley to Leeds via Otley, with the large Ilkley Hydros offering a coach service to Arthington station on the Harrogate line. After 1865 the railway dominated until the 20th century and the rise of motorised transport.

M is for… Milestone. The milestone near to Myddelton Lodge suggests the distance to Rippon is just 15 miles! The question of dubious distances on old milestones was noted by the Ilkley Gazette over a century ago, in 1916, in an article called ‘The Lying Milestones’.

Q is for… Quarrying. Small-scale quarrying on Ilkley Moor had provided stone for buildings in the village from an unrecorded date. There was a quarry at Spicey Ghyll, though little evidence of the industrial activity undertaken here remains.

*A-Z of Ilkley Places-People-History by Mark Hunnebell is out on October 15. For more info go to https://www.amberley-books.com/az-of-ilkley.html