Aims and Annual Report
Charity Number 1092549
The Aims of the Society
We are a local group interested in Ilkley past and present.
We aim:
- To promote high standards of planning and architecture.
- To educate the public in geography, history, natural history and architecture.
- To secure the preservation, protection, development and improvement of features of historic or public interest in Ilkley.
We research local history through architecture, planning applications and local families.
We guide local heritage walks through the summer. We can provide individual guided walks for visiting groups by arrangement.
We give illustrated talks, e.g. lost buildings of Ilkley, schools through the years in Ilkley, from village to town and Ilkley past and present.
We are developing a digital record of photographs, postcards, maps and other data. This includes planning applications for buildings from their introduction in Ilkley in 1869.
We are investigating renamed streets, houses, lost buildings, hydros, schools, gravestones and old Ilkley families and businesses.
We welcome people sharing information and memories about Ilkley and we reply to any enquiries.
ILKLEY CIVIC SOCIETY - ANNUAL REPORT 2023-24
Introduction
This annual report records the society’s main activities during 2023-24, includes a statement of its accounts and outlines its proposals for 2024-25.
Officers and Executive Committee 2023-24
Chair Helen Kidman, Vice Chair Alex Cockshott,
Hon Treasurer - vacant
Hon Secretary Kate Brown
Executive Committee members: Anthony Barnett, David Blackburn, Graham Peacock and Jan Stallworthy
Charity Commission
The Society meets the Charity Commission's public benefit criteria. The Trustees have paid due regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission regarding public benefit under both the advancement of education and the advancement of citizenship and community development headings.
Reserves Policy
The executive committee has continued a reserves policy of £500.
Key Achievements 2023-24
The Society continued to run a full programme of meetings both face-to-face and on Zoom. Executive committee meetings, as well as smaller meetings to do with Planning, Friends of the Cemetery, the Local History Hub and blue plaques. Heritage Walks have continued well attended. Four newsletters have been issued and many items of business have been dealt with electronically.
A very successful Heritage walk was held for Heritage Open Days when we visited the beautiful grounds of Heber’s Mount.
Membership has remained at about 80.
A blue plaque was unveiled at Heath House on Wells Walk to commemorate John Cunliffe, the children’s author.
Design and Awards
At our March 2024 meeting, Adam Clarke, architect, was our guest speaker and the society’s design and conservation awards were announced. There was coverage of the event in the Ilkley Gazette.
Main Activities and Public Benefit
Meetings.
Face-to-face and Zoom meetings were held in the winter months as usual covering a wide range of subjects including environment, local history and architecture. In discussions, local government cuts continued to be of deep concern to members.
Website – Our website has been kept up to date and attracted interest from both members and potential members. The Local History Hub pages are currently being redeveloped.
Activity Groups:
Planning
The numbers of planning applications in Bradford as a whole was down again to 4695 from 5400 last year and a peak of 6360 in 2021. ICS commented on 91 of the 242 that where in the Ilkley Town boundary that’s about 9 viewed in each fortnightly batch that we examine.
Significant applications and decisions during 2023 included –
The failure of the appeal against Bradford council refusing to grant the demolition of Hollycroft (former nursing home on Hebers Ghyll Dr) because the historic building is identified as a Key Unlisted building . This project has recently been submitted with the retention of the historic Key Unlisted building and construction of a new extension, decision awaited
Work has now started on the land behind Kimberly St, Ashlands Rd to construct 9 houses and a veterinary surgery
Planning applications continue to attempt to squeeze new houses into small sites, not always beneficial to neighbours
Large 2 storey garages and car parks also remain a trend as do excessively large dormer windows.
Late in the year an application to demolish the Factory Shop retail premises on Wheatley la to construct a Starbucks cafe where submitted, decision awaited
Local History Research
Research has continued, aided by availability of the 1921 census and 1939 registrations. There have been many donations to the local history hub including a second more modern microfiche reader. Cataloguing activity continued, undertaken by U3A but has now reached a pause. The land sale maps from the 1860s and 70s, and the overhead photographs of Ilkley have been used in exhibitions.
Transport
- Trains have been severely affected by industrial action and several local bus services were under threat of withdrawal. The Civic Society continues a watching brief on transport issues. Rail strikes continue. There is better news on the buses where the hourly service to Skipton is due to be reinstated. Bus 64 between Ilkley and Skipton – Monday to Saturday- the hourly service has been restored from this week, Monday 8th
Blue Plaques
A blue plaque was unveiled at Heath House on Wells walk to commemorate John Cunliffe, the well-known children’s author.
Historic England has extended its Official Blue Plaque scheme beyond London and their first unveiling was a blue plaque to commemorate Daphne Steele of Guyana and latterly Ilkley. Daphne trained as midwife and was the first black matron in the NHS. The blue plaque is on display at Hillside Court at the top of Wells Road. This building already had an ICS blue plaque to Charles Darwin which has been re-positioned to align with Daphne’s. ICS and Historic England worked well over the arrangements and despite attempts to keep the details confidential, a large crowd gathered to watch on the day. The plaque was unveiled by Lord Parkinson, Arts and Heritage Minister, Department for Culture, Media and Sport with responsibility for Historic England, and Daphne’s son Robert Steele.
Campaigns and Projects
Ilkley Cemetery
The Friends of Ilkley Cemetery meet weekly on a Tuesday afternoon all year round, weather permitting. Unfortunately, the poor weather this year has sometimes coincided with our Tuesday afternoons and we have had to meet for coffee and cake and a chat instead.
Some of the highlights and achievements of the Friends this year have included:
- In May 2023 we met the cost of tree works at the Beanlands Parade entrance at a cost of £528.00
- In May 2023 we finalised and installed the new Information Board close to the Beanlands Parade entrance at a cost of £856.00 with the help, support and thanks to Colin and Keith from Pinnacle Graphic Design and the joiner, Andrew Steadman, for the refurbishment and installation of the case.
- In August 2023 we held a successful guided walk in the Cemetery – a new initiative for us – which attracted 36 people.
- In September 2023 we met with Sue and Neil Stevens to look at the feasibility of producing a Tree Trail Guide for the Cemetery. We met with them again in November to discuss their findings - a provisional list of 48 trees of interest. We have identified funding to put towards the cost of printing a Tree Trail Guide when it is ready and we hope that Sue and Neil will lead a guided tree walk in the Cemetery to launch the Guide in Summer 2024.
In addition to our main activities of tidying graves, cutting back weeds and undergrowth and litter picking we also report any issues or concerns we may spot in the Cemetery. These have included a silver birch tree dropping its branches which had to be felled by the Trees Team; reporting burst pipes on the water taps during the cold weather; petty vandalism; and, most recently, the damage being caused by cars parking inconsiderately to grassed areas in the Cemetery - particularly at the turning circle by the Chapels. We also receive a number comments and queries from members of the public and we work with Bereavement Services to address any issues.
If you would like to join the Friends for an hour or so on a Tuesday afternoon then email Jan for more information on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Local History Hub
Saturday afternoon themed meetings via Zoom and in person walks have continued to attracted some large audiences with ICS members and interested local historians from all over the country and overseas joining in. In addition to Zoom meetings a number of walks have taken place. The amount of material in the hub room has increased considerably and cataloguing continues. The material received has helped to support both presentations and exhibitions during the year.
If you would like to get involved with the work of the Local History Hub please email
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Working with Other Groups
The Society supports and works with a number of other groups where our interests can be promoted:
Keighley and Ilkley Voluntary Community Action, Ilkley Road Safety Committee, Ilkley and District Arts Federation, Friends of King’s Hall and the Winter Garden, the Friends of the Riverside Park, the Friends of Ilkley Moor, the Ilkley Manor House Trust and their Supporters Group, Ilkley Youth and Community Association, Ilkley Clean Rivers Group, Climate Action Ilkley, Olicana Historical Society, Ilkley Summer Festival Committee, Ilkley Neighbourhood Plan, the Bandstand Committee, Wharfedale Naturalists, Ilkley U3A and Improving Ilkley. The society is a member of the Victorian Society and Civic Voice.
Our planning group with Bradford Council officers consists representatives from Keighley Addingham and Baildon Civic Societies and hopefully Bradford CS in the near future
We have kept in regular contact with Ilkley Town Council, our three District Councillors and our MP.
Yorkshire and Humber Association of Civic Societies
The Society is represented at YHACS meetings.
2024-25 Programme and Forward Look
We will continue to play a key part in the Neighbourhood Plan and in the next stages of the Local Plan which has still not been finalised by the local authority.
The Local History Hub meetings will continue and develop, feeding into further heritage walks both self-guided and led. We are continuing to develop cataloguing and storage arrangements. Meetings held on Zoom are often attended by members who live away from Ilkley, some of whom are involved actively in local history research and keen to share their findings. Our particular thanks go to Sally Gunton, who has shared a large number of pictures of Ilkley with the Local History Hub.
Work will continue on the website on blue plaques and local history and we are grateful to Robert Templar for his input on this.
Activity in the Cemetery will continue with a dedicated group meeting weekly, depending on the weather.
The trees trail will be developed.
We are currently preparing a meetings programme for 2024/25.
There are vacancies on the committee and we invite any members to stand for election at the AGM on 25th April 2024.
For more information contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.