Railway engineers have Ilkley in their sight (From Ilkley Gazette)

Railway engineers have Ilkley in their sight

9:18am Thursday 18th June 2009

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1884

Slowly but surely the engineers are nearing Ilkley in their final survey of the route for the new railway line from Skipton. The Duke’s men are clearing timber from the track in Lob’s Wood, Addingham has been measured off and left, and after rising the ascent at Cockden, the surveyors have Ilkley well in sight. More than two-thirds of the survey is completed.

• The inmates of Ilkley Hospital were entertained by the performance in the large room of the institution of the trial of ‘Bardell v Pickwick’ from Dickens's famous work. The performance was conducted by members of the parish church Young Men’s Society, and the characters were well sustained. The entertainment was varied by readings and musical selections.

• By reference to our advertisement columns it will be seen Ilkley is to be favoured with an unusual attraction, in a thought reading, seance to be given by James Edwyns, a gentleman who has been residing at Craiglands for some time for the benefit of his health, and whose private performances there have led to a special request that he would give a public seance before leaving Ilkley.

1909

Thomas Half, a well-known Ilkley character, was discovered asleep on a haystack at Mayfield Farm, Ilkley, by the owner, Mr Binns. The police distrurbed his slumbers. He used bad language to the police. At Otley he was ordered to pay 7sh and 6d, or suffer a week’s imprisonment for drunken disorderliness. He has been convicted 17 times before.

• Mr A C Roberts, of Howdah, Eaton Road, Ilkley, was badly injured by being thrown from his horse while out riding with friends on the moor edge above Middleton. He had two large scalp wounds at the back of the head, a cut on the forehead and also a hand and shoulder injured.

• A farmer named Baker, who occupies Slade Farm, an outlying homestead on Addingham Moor, between Silsden and Ilkley, one night recently missed about 30 head of poultry. Foxes had been blamed for many depredations in the locality, but in this instance Reynard does not appear to be culpable, for another night 40 more poultry were missed. The farmer had kept watch until two o'clock in the morning but on visiting his poultry again soon after six o'clock found that the theft had been committed in the interval.

1934

In a time when the Ilkley Council has been passing through a period of considerable criticism it is particularly interesting to note that there was no opposition to their application to the Ministry of Health for sanction to borrow £16,000 for what practically amounts to a reconstruction of the present Gasworks in order to bring them up to present day requirements. The new equipment will be thoroughly up to date and by the installation of continuous vertical retorts Ilkley will be producing gas on the most modern lines, producing it much more economically and, perhaps what is of quite equal importance in a health and residential resort such as Ilkley, they will be doing away with the dust, fumes, smoke and noise which at present cannot be regarded as at all satisfactory.

• The glorious spell of hot weather last weekend saw the bathing crowds on the river bank and in the Wharfe rivalling those of last summer. Many were asking: "Where is that bathing pool they talked about a year ago?"

• Looking around the exhibition of Punch drawings which are on view in the Ilkley Winter Garden reminds one once again how many of Punch jokes have become almost a part of the English language. The illustrations in this exhibition depict "amusing situations between doctor and patient".

They range from 1846, in which is a historical touch in a joke about a militia man. The collection was specially made in connection with the visit to the Punch offices of the delegates to the recent Centenary meeting of the British Medical Association, and the Public Library Committee of the Ilkley Council is to be congratulated upon having arranged for it to be shown in Ilkley.

1959

A close watch was being kept yesterday on a smouldering area of 100 acres of Burley and Ilkley Moors that was swept by fire on Wednesday afternoon. Throughout Wednesday afternoon and large area of Wharfedale was under a heavy pall of smoke that was carried by the wind across the valley. At times it was so dense it obscured the sun. The fire started about 1pm on Ilkley Moor bear the Lanshaw delves. By 3pmn, driven by a high wind, it has swept over tinder-dry undergrowth into the Burley Moor to Green Crag Slack and almost to the moor road at Woodhead.

• Skipton Rural Road Safety Committee on Tuesday reiterated the view that it would be advantageous to make Bolton Road, Addingham, into a one-way street, permitting traffic to travel away from Main Street only. The Honorary Secretary informed the committee that the assistant county surveyor, in a letter to Skipton Rural Council, had stated that at first sight the suggestion appeared to be attractive, as it would prevent vehicles entering the trunk road where visibility was very limited, but there were disadvantages. The prohibition would increase the volume of traffic using Bark Lane, which was not desirable.

• Members of the Addingham and Ilkley Branch of the Farmers' Union at their meeting in Addingham last week were critical of the attitude of the local branch of the RSPCA in regard to the recent outbreaks of sheep worrying. About 12 sheep including lambs have been killed and many more injured through worrying by dogs in the past week or two. It would seem from reports, it was stated, that some of the damage had been caused by dogs for which the RSPCA were seeking country homes, it was alleged.

1984

The whole hospital survey for the Middleton Hospital shows the total cost to upgrade is £3,307,000 of which £1,825,000 is to be spent during years one to three. Blocks No 1-10 (hutted wards) show a similar pattern of outstanding defects and need urgent attention. The conclusion is that there is no single building at Middleton Hospital which could be described as in good repair.

• In the European Parliament elections, Barry Seal (Labour) held his seat in the Yorkshire West Constituency, which includes Ilkley, Burley and Menston. He gained an increased majority of 20,854. The Conservative candidate, Ian Bruce, received 65,405 votes and E Lyons, for the SDP, received 28,309.

• Following the institution of the Rev John Tidy as Vicar of Burley-in-Wharfedale, there will be the opportunity for parishioners to meet him and his family in Burley First School. Mr Tidy, vicar of St Peter’s Bishop Aukland, was ordained in Durham in 1973.

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