125 years ago – 1886

The annual prizes, given by the gentlemen and tradesmen of Guiseley and district, were competed for on the Burley Company’s range, on Saturday last. The day was a favourable one for shooting. The first prize was won by Sergt R.L. Jackson, with 42 points.

Midges! On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, outdoor exercise was rendered extremely disagreeable owing to the presence of myriads of these little insects. They flew about in such numbers as, in some instances, to quite cover people with them.

100 years ago – 1911

A largely attended meeting in support of the Archbishop’s Western Canada Fund was held in St Margaret’s Hall, Ilkley. The Bishop, in remarking how earnestly he desired to bring this subject before the hearts and minds of those present, said we had a responsibility towards those who had gone from our midst to carry the British name into distant lands, and at present there was no land that made such an appeal to us as Canada.

Ilkley Development Association – A committee has been formed in connection with the above association with the object of obtaining for Ilkley a more frequent and quicker service of trains between Ilkley, Leeds and Bradford, and Ilkley and Skipton. The residents of Ilkley are aware that the train service during the day is exceedingly bad.

75 years ago – 1936

You who study our obituary columns each week – and I can imagine there are few who do not take an interest in births, marriages and deaths – will doubtless have observed how the span of life appears to be lengthening as the years go by. Half a century ago a man’s expectation of life was 40 years, and a woman’s 43. Now we can reasonably hope to reach 56 or 59, according to our sex. In the century before that a man of 50 was rare.

Coronation Celebrations. In the minutes of the Finance and General Purposes Committee of Ilkley Urban District Council was a resolution: “That an amount of £350 be placed at the disposal of the committee formed to organise local celebrations in connection with the Coronation of His Majesty, King Edward VIII.”

50 years ago – 1961

The maintenance of the electric street lamps in Addingham, which have been converted from gas to electricity is to be carried out by Ilkley council under the terms that the Parish Council be charged on the basis of the actual cost of the maintenance plus an amount equal to five per cent for administration expenses.

The progress of the proposed scheme to provide a footbridge over the River Wharfe at Burley was the subject of a question put at the meeting of the General Purpose Committee of Ilkley Council.

25 years ago – 1986

On Saturday 13 members of Otley Peace Action Group travelled to Scotland to take part in a mass trespass to protest against the building of a Trident submarine base. They joined thousands of others to walk over the 3,000 acres of common land seized by the Ministry of Defence to facilitate preparations for nuclear war.

Ilkley, often referred to as the jewel in the crown of the Bradford Metropolitan District, has begun negotiations to become part of North Yorkshire. The Parish Council, which has discussed on and off the possibility of joining North Yorkshire since the 1970s, took the first positive steps to do so on Monday.