THE Ilkley Manor House Trust is joining forces with Ilkley Literature Festival, Ilkley Playhouse and a range of local organisations to produce Summer in the Courtyard, a programme of outdoor, in-person arts and culture events.

It will feature performances from local artists, writers and musicians, as well as a range of activities for the whole family to enjoy.

Sarah Thomas, Chair of the Ilkley Manor House Trust, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming visitors back to events in the Manor House Courtyard this summer. From Shakespeare to fairy tales, and from poetry to jazz, we hope there will be something for everyone to enjoy.”

The Manor House will be welcoming Lempen Puppet Theatre company back for a number of performances over the summer.

Ilkley Literature Festival will be presenting their Fringe Festival, with six evenings of outdoor performances starting on Thursday, July 22 and running through to Thursday, August 26. Watch as local creatives perform cross-artform pieces, featuring poetry readings, musical performances, improv and stand-up comedy.

On August Bank Holiday weekend, the Ilkley Playhouse will be presenting ‘Bard in the Yard’.

Performances will take place at 2pm on Sunday, August 29 and Monday, August 30.

For the full programme, please visit: www.discoverilkley.co.uk

All events will take place in the Manor House Courtyard.

Booking is required for some of the events but all are free-to-attend. Attendees will be asked to follow health and safety regulations at the venue.

The Manor House is also looking forward to the opening of an anniversary exhibition to look back over the 60 years of the Manor House being a museum and art gallery.

The exhibition includes displays from the ‘Fantastic at 50’ exhibition that was curated by Bradford Museums and Galleries in 2010 as well as information about the last ten years too.

The exhibition is free to enter and is open every weekend from 11am - 4pm and possibly additional times when the Manor House is open.

The exhibition can be viewed when the Manor House reopens to visitors again from Saturday, July 3.

“It is wonderful to be able to open the house again," added Sarah Thomas, Chair of the Manor House Trust. “It was a difficult decision not to open as soon as we were permitted to by Government but as a volunteer led organisation, we have to weigh up the safety and support to our volunteers with our desire to offer the public a rewarding visitor experience.”

The Solar Gallery also reopens on July 3 with a new exhibition – New Horizons. And from July 24 the Ilkley Lockdown Quilt exhibition opens.

The Manor House also has the artefacts back that were taken into safekeeping by Bradford Museums and Galleries in 2015. These artefacts will be reinstalled in the large display cabinet in the Heritage Room in the house.

The mid-14th century stone Ilkley Manor House and courtyard sits within the footprint of the Roman fort, Olicana and was opened by patron, Alan Titchmarsh in April 2018. The Trust’s vision is to create an ambitious heritage and creative quarter for the town. Visit ilkleymanorhouse.org