Kirjahaku

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. The town lies in Wharfedale in Yorkshire, adjacent to the moor, subject of the song: ‘On Ilkla Moor bah’t ‘at’. The scenic landscape and roads around Ilkley and the steep climb to the Cow and Calf Rocks have become well known internationally through the staging of the Tour de France passing through Ilkley and the Tour de Yorkshire cycle race. The town is also home to the oldest Literature Festival in the north of England. 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.

The beautiful town of Ilkley, situated in the heart of Wharfdale, has been a famous and much-loved tourist destination ever since it was established as a fashionable spa town of the railway age. Home to the oldest literary festival in the north of England, Ilkley is still characterised as much by its Victorian architecture as by the stunning surrounding scenery of open moorlands and green meadows. Secret Ilkley goes behind the façades of the familiar to discover the lesser-known aspects of the town’s long and illustrious past. Local author Mark Hunnebell takes the reader on an enlightening and entertaining journey through the past, delving beneath the surface to reveal dark deeds and strange tales with long-forgotten facts and amusing stories. This book lifts the lid on the hidden secrets that even most local people don’t know.