125 years ago

Another special effort was made to still further reduce the debt of Saint Margaret's Church, Ilkley, which at present stands at around £2,500. The preacher was the Very Reverend Purey Cust, the Dean of York, who delivered two powerful discourses. At the close of each the Dean made a stirring appeal on behalf of the building fund.

A meeting of friends wishful to prevent the closing and dispersal of the Ilkley Library was held. It will be remembered that during the last few weeks efforts have been made to form a limited liability company, shares to be issued at one pound each. Up to the present 118 shares have been taken.

Two Ilkley men were summoned to the Otley Police Court for fighting. PC Huffington said he saw the defendants with 20 or 30 people fighting near the Cocken End with their coats off. Mr Child defending, said it arose out of a dispute the previous evening and they had decided to have it out in the old English fashion. They were bound over to keep the peace.

100 years ago

All sorts of conditions of men and women visit Ilkley but never to our knowledge have we had trippers on their own' of such tender years as the two children who arrived by train from Bradford on Sunday morning. They were both about three years of age, and named respectively as Jimmy Poole and Edward Dean, both said to reside in Bradford.

A deputation from the Sowerby Bridge Urban District Council inspected the Ilkley Destructor Works on Wednesday. This embraces all the latest ideas and patents for the destruction of town refuse, and the plant is considered a model one for small towns. That this is so is evidenced by the number of sanitary authorities who have sent deputations to inspect the destructor at work including Buxton, Edmonton, Brighouse, and Yeadon, also representatives from authorities in Australia, Scotland, and the War Office. Since the deputation from the War Office instructions have been put down for a similar installation to be put down at Simla, North India (Lord Kitchener's headquarters.) Saturday, July 27,has been fixed upon as Waif Saturday locally, and on this day street collections will be taken on behalf of Dr Barnardo's Homes.

75 years ago

The rescue of a boy from the River Wharfe after he had gone down for the third time thrilled the spectators who were watching the bathing near the bottom of Stourton Road on Sunday evening. Only one person noticed the lad slip from an inflated tyre and sink and he had gone down for the third time when this spectator grasped the significance of what was happening. A young man fully clothed leapt into the river whilst at the same time a bather on the opposite side of the stream dashed across. To everybody's delight the lad slowly recovered consciousness.

The Gazette asked: Why does not Ilkley provide swimming baths? There has been tragedy after tragedy in the long story of the years since the provision of such a bath was first mooted, and the treachery of the River Wharfe came very near to claiming another victim this weekend among the summer bathers. Only the alert attention of one spectator on the bank and the pluck of a rescuer who prefers to remain anonymous prevented the addition of another name to the long list.

The new weaving shed for the Peltzer-Lister Velvet Co, Ltd, Wharfedale Mills covers approximately 6,400 sq yards and has employed mor than 120 men from Addingham and district. Two hundred and seventy five tons of steelwork has been used for the pillars, roof trusses, etc.

50 years ago

After sitting in the Winter Gardens, Ilkley, for a total of nearly 16 hours, an inspector of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government closed the public inquiry into proposal gravel workings at Ben Rhydding and Denton Park Estate. This was the climax to a battle set up by the local councils, organisations and residents to protect more than 100 acres of land, well known as a local beauty spot, from being turned into gravel beds.

An Ilkley man pleaded not guilty before Otley Magistrates' Court of being in charge of a car while under the influence of drink. A solicitor had seen his car standing without lights at about 11pm. Inside he saw the defendant slumped over the steering wheel, and when he called out and knocked on the window he got no response. The defendant was fined £25.

The information that the Ilkley Nursery School was to the closed down at the end of this month caused great concern among members of Ilkley Education Committee at their monthly meeting. It was pointed out that the nursery school had an attendance of 40 children and also had a waiting list.

25 years ago

'Glamorous Novello' was the theme of an original demonstration to members of Ilkley Flower Club by Mrs Seal, who entertained the audience not only with flower arranging but also the history of Ivor Novello, from his birth in Wales to his rise to the pinnacles of international fame. The first exhibition recalling Novello's early days as a choir boy at Oxford was named Oh, for the Wings of a Dove' and was designed all in white with a white candle as an accessory.

Just 26 years after the erection of the shelter at the top of Brook Street there is a growing feeling in the town that it should be removed and re-sited elsewhere. This follows continuous vandalism in the area around the building and the bottom of Mill Ghyll.

It has been revealed this week that well over a million pounds a year in form of revenue support is required to maintain the operation of the Ilkley Branch Railway line which also serves the villages of Ben Rhydding, Burley and Menston.