Heritage museum in West Yorkshire, England
Ilkley Manor House, Ilkley, West Yorkshire, England, is a local heritage museum, art gallery, and live venue, and was established in the present building in 1961 to preserve local archaeological artefacts after the spa town expanded and much Roman material was lost. It was managed by Bradford Council Museums and Galleries department but had to be closed in 2013 owing to lack of funds. In order to keep the building open to the public, the Ilkley Manor House Trust was formed, and in April 2018, Bradford Council transferred the Manor House and three adjacent cottages to the Trust as a community asset transfer.
History of the Ilkley Museum.
The following are key events in the history of the Ilkley Museum before the artefacts were moved to Ilkley Manor House:
Ilkley Manor House from 1961.
The following list details key events in Ilkley Manor House's history since it was converted into a museum and art gallery in 1961:
Current exhibits.
The majority of the local historical artefacts are now housed in the Heritage Room which is on the ground floor of the solar wing. There are items dated from the Neolithic period, to Roman, to Medieval, as well as Victorian, Edwardian, and more recent years.
The Manor House (Old Castle) building.
The Manor House building is of historic interest.
This is the oldest dwelling-house in Ilkley and was built along with All Saints' Parish Church on the site of the Roman fort, Olicana. The church was built in Anglo-Saxon times on top of the "Principia" or headquarters building of the fort. The Manor House was built into the west defences: that is, it was incorporated with part of the free-standing defensive west wall of the fort, and many robbed-out Roman small squared stone blocks are now part of the building.
Before it became the museum, Ilkley Manor House was known as 'The Castle'. The origin of this name was probably due to the Roman fort, i.e. castrum, from which we get the diminuitive form 'castellum'. The House has evidence of a Pele Tower which may also explain why it was historically known as 'The Castle'. This is unlikely, however, because there is no evidence that the building itself was used for fortification.
The front of the building faces south. The left or west wing, which now contains the buttery and storeroom, is partly medieval and was built on the Roman fort wall. The interior entrances to the buttery and storeroom have 14th-century shouldered corbelled arches, or 'Caernarfon lintels'. The mullioned windows are 17th century. The central gable covers the main eating hall with fireplace, and the right or east gable is the solar wing, which contained upstairs accommodation for the owner, with a garderobe and fireplace. The upper floor of the solar wing is now home to the Solar Art Gallery. The front walls and windows of the central hall and solar wing are 16th century. The front doorway with pointed arch is possibly late Norman.
The back or north elevation of the building is partly built with stones robbed from the Roman fort. The passage doorway may be medieval, but the archway and right (west) wing are 17th-century. The wall beneath the central and east gables on this side is 15th- to 16th-century. The lowest large window in the solar wing on this north side is 17th-century; other north-elevation windows are more modern.
In the interior roof of the solar room, the rigid 15th- or 16th-century structure of king posts, tie beams and principal rafters forms the main frame of the roof, as a series of triangular trusses.
Educational facility.
The Manor House, specifically the ground floor room of the solar wing (now known as the 'Heritage Room'), is used for educational purposes and various local schools visit to learn about the history of the area. Children usually learn about Roman British history as this fits in with the national curriculum. At the House, children can learn about: the remains of the Roman fort; the life of a Roman soldier in Britain, including the replica of a Roman helmet; Roman British military campaigns; the operation of the fort and vicus. In addition, visitors to Ilkley Manor House can read the two new interpretation boards: 'Discover the History of the Roman Fort' is opposite the Roman wall to the west of the House and discusses the occupation of the site by the Romans; the second, 'Journey Back in Time', is near the Northern Gate Marker to the north-east of the House and discusses what life may have been like.
References.
 ;templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" / ;