125 years ago - 1889

A daring robbery was committed at the Robin Hood Inn, Yeadon, on Monday evening, between the hours of nine and eleven. The thief or thieves seem to have entered the house by a back door and then proceeded upstairs. Here a thorough ransacking appears to have taken place, the bedding being thrown on to the floor. A drawer in which was a large quantity of copper was forced and about £2 abstracted; the landlady's work box was broken open and £15 in gold taken therefrom, whilst £5 in gold and £2 in silver was stolen from a child's money-box. The landlady discovered what had taken place shortly after eleven o'clock, and and information was at once given to the police, who made a thorough search on the roofs of adjoining houses, but no clue to the perpetrators was discovered.

During the week the Ilkley moors have been shot over by Mr Middleton and party, and some excellent sport has been obtained. The grouse shooting in the vicinity of Bolton Abbey over the last few days has only been attended by moderate success.

100 years ago - 1914

In connection with Lord Kitchener's appeal for more recruits for the Army, a crowded and most enthusiastic meeting took place in the King's Hall on Monday evening, presided over by Cr W Dobson JP, Chairman of the Ilkley District Council. Supporting him on the platform were most of the other councillors, together with a large number of prominent residents in Ilkley and neighbourhood. Never has such a wave of patriotic fervour swept Ilkley before. The meeting was full of it, and at the conclusion, when those willing to recruit came up on the front, and finally arranged on the platform for their names to be taken, it was a scene of the wildest enthusiasm imaginable.

With a view of anticipating the requirements of hospital accommodation for the sick and wounded, Lord Harewood recently suggested that action should immediately be taken in certain selected districts in the West Riding. Acting upon this suggestion a representative meeting was held at Otley on August 19 to consider what arrangements were necessary in the Wharfedale district for carrying out the suggestion, and a committee was elected with full powers to act in co-operation with the Territorial Branch of the ST John Ambulance Association, York, centre.

75 years ago - 1939

News of the declaration of war between Great Britain and Germany was received with a quiet soberness in Wharfedale. It came on Sunday morning when many people were at church. In some places of worship the announcement of Mr Chamberlain's broadcast news were given by the preacher from the pulpit; in others the service was shortened so that worshippers could return to their homes to hear the broadcast, and then they returned to church for prayers.

The people of those Wharfedale townships who were roused by the air raid warning signals in the early hours of Monday morning had a full scale test of their preparedness. An unusual feature of the incident at Otley was that it coincided with a stampede of a large number of horses that had been evacuated from Bradford into Wharfedale. The horses galloped along the roads to the north of the River Wharfe, apparently in Farnley Lane, Billams Hill, The Crossway and Turner Crescent, and the beat of their hooves on the road could be heard clearly in all parts of the town.

50 years ago - 1964

Five engines were called to a fire at the Wharfeside paper mills of P Garnett and Son Ltd, at Otley, on Sunday afternoon. Damage estimated at several thousands of pounds was caused. A warehouse containing about 400 tons of waste paper was gutted and a number of steel press rolls, each valued at about £400, which were stored in the building, were damaged. The power cables for the works ran through the warehouse and as a consequence of the fire damage had to be replaced. Because of this the works had to be shut down for the first time in about four years. It is hoped to have the works in full production again by the weekend.

A fine of £10 for stealing food valued £1 3s 1d, from the Troutbeck Hotel , Ilkley, was imposed on a waiter from Leeds. He pleaded guilty. Supt Green said the offence took place while defendant was employed at the hotel and had access to food. PCs on motor patrol in Bramhope saw the defendant walking with a brown paper parcel tied on his back, and because of the early hours of the morning asked what was in the parcel. When they looked they found tea, butter, sugar, coffee, lemon curd and four cups. Defendant said in court he was sorry.

25 years ago - 1989

Improvements are on the way to make roads in the Ilkley District safer . Accident black spots in Skipton Road are to receive attention and pelican crossings are to be provided on the A65 trunk road by the autumn, road safety officers revealed this week. Officers discussed a list of 53 traffic problems ranging from improvements required at junctions, complaints of excessive speed to requests for pedestrian crossings and bus bays.

A BMX rider's trip to an event in Plymouth turned into a nightmare when he was mugged by a gang of eight youths who threatened him with a knife and then stole his pride and joy - his £700 competition bike. The nineteen-year old, formerly of Addingham, who has represented England in the Freestyle World Championships, had spent a day in Southsea, and was returning home to Yorkshire by train via London. However, outside London's busy Waterloo Station, the ex-Ilkley Grammar School pupil was approached by a gang of youths who demanded a ride on his one year old and valuable BMX.