Ilkley

Ilkley is a spa town situated on the River Wharfe in northern England West Yorkshire. In 2001, he had 13,828 inhabitants.

Geography

Ilkley is situated on the northern edge of the swamp Rombalds Moor, about 15 kilometers north of Bradford, 20 kilometers north- west of Leeds and 20 kilometers south west of Harrogate. The 97 km long river Wharfe flows through the city from west to east, in the urban area of ​​Ilkley he is crossed by four bridges.

The highway A65 from Leeds to Kendal ( Cumbria ) crosses Ilkley in a westerly direction.

History

The region south of the present Ilkley, Ilkley Moor which was already inhabited around 1800 BC. From this time the rock carvings at Ilkley Moor, one occurring exclusively in this region variant of the cup-and -ring markings originate.

To 80 AD, the Romans built a fort in Ilkley, which they called Olicana. Olicana was a strategically important point, since there the streets of today's cities York and Manchester to Ribchester and Aldborough ( Isurium Brigantum ) crossed the Wharfe; Despite its strategic importance was the castle at the beginning of the 5th century left again.

Ilkley is mentioned by name in the Domesday Book, a job created on the orders of William the Conqueror in 1086 the Land Registry. As stewards of the land around the village began Wilhelm William de Percy, whose descendants control of Ilkley retained the next 200 years. After the death of Peter de Percy in 1315, the lands changed hands several times until the family Middleton in 1484 the estate took over. Until 1906, more than 400 years later, ended with the death of Charles Marmaduke Middleton the close relationship of the family to the place.

Ilkley as a resort

The first hydrotherapy spa in Ilkley, the White Wells ( German: "White sources " ), was built around 1690 on the edge of the moor outside the city; 1780, the building of William Middleton were repaired and extended. The complex now consisted of an immersion bath, which took over 4000 liters of 4 ° C cold water, and a second, deeper space with an equally cold shower.

The water of the spa has no significant mineral content; the effect of the water is recycled rather its temperature, which stimulates the blood circulation. Charles Darwin, the founder of the theory of evolution is said to have used the dip in 1859, is open to visitors today.

Personalities

• Georgie Henley (* 1995), actress
• David Hope ( born 1940 ), cleric and former Archbishop of York

Pictures

Church of All Saints

The Swastika Stone in the hills around Ilkley