Ilkley rose to fame as a Spa town in the nineteenth-century when thousands visited for fresh air, good food and the lively social scene. Today’s visitor can look forward to an equally stimulating experience.

The earliest traces of settlers in Ilkley can be found on the moors above the town. Strange carvings on the stones, called ‘cup and ring’ markings from their shape, were created by ancient man. As well as a famous carving known as ‘The Swastika'. The rocks are easily seen from public footpaths.

Later, the Romans were tempted by Ilkley’s riverside charms and established a small fort on the road from York to Manchester, calling it Olicana. There are few remains today but the story is told in the Manor House Museum and on display boards near the Museum and adjacent parish church of All Saints. Inside the church are Saxon crosses, originally in the churchyard but moved indoors for preservation. For all this activity Ilkley remained little more than a hamlet for centuries until a most humble commodity put the town on the map.

The cold bath at White Wells on Ilkley moor has been in existence since the eighteenth-century when the waters were credited with healing powers. As the vogue for hydrotherapy, that is the use of water in the treatment of disease, swept Britain in the mid 1800s canny local businessman decided to promote Ilkley as a spa. Grand Hydro hotels were developed and wealthy visitors arrived by coach to ‘take the waters’.

The arrival of the railway in 1865 allowed the middle classes to visit the town and smaller establishments were opened to cater for their needs. Ilkley boomed in the Victorian era and the legacy of the age is the wonderful collection of private and municipal architecture. Wells House, one of the grander hotels survives, now converted to luxury flats but happily the Craiglands Hotel, opened in a florid Scotch-Baronial style, continues to welcome visitors. The magnificent King’s Hall and Winter Gardens is still a thriving venue for entertainment.