History
West View Park
In 1893, Ilkley Council bought Ilkley Moor from the Middleton family. The Council decided to develop the area now known as Darwin Gardens as a park, with paths and rustic bridges crossing the stream, after it had been damaged during the flood of 1900.
This area became known as West View Park.
West View Park Bandstand
In 1904, at the cost of £127, the Council had a bandstand built and a year later a covered seating area was constructed to provide shelter for the audience.
There had been a town band previously, but in 1904 it was dismissed, and a new Military band was formed under the musical director Wardle S Bellerby.
Bellerby led the band three times a day during the summer season until the start of the First World War. After the War, visiting bands such as The Silsden Silver Band continued performing into the 1930s.
The bandstand was demolished in the 1950s.
Darwin Gardens Millennium Green
After years of neglect, local resident Frazer Irwin proposed the renovation of the park in the late 1990s, wishing to commemorate both the approaching millennium and the visit of Charles Darwin to Ilkley in 1859, thus forming the concept for ‘Darwin Gardens Millennium Green’.
Darwin Gardens Millennium Green was officially opened 25 years ago by author Jilly Cooper in 2000. Darwin Gardens was established as a new park for Ilkley residents, to be forever used as an area for informal recreation and a meeting area for community events.
Darwin in Ilkley
Charles Darwin came to stay at the hydropathic spa hotel, Wells House on 4th October 1859 to undertake the “water cure”. On 17th October he was joined by his wife and family when they took an apartment at North View House, Wells Terrace (now Hillside Court).
His family returned south on 24th November and he returned to stay at Wells House until 7th December.
On 2nd November his publisher sent the review copy of “On the Origin of Species by Natural Selection” to Darwin in Ilkley. The volume was bound in royal green cloth and priced at 15 shillings. The book was officially published on 24th November and during his stay in Ilkley, Darwin started on revisions for the second edition of his great work.
The Darwin Walk visits Wells House and Wells Terrace (now Hillside Court) and takes in a view of White Wells, where the original spring is located that became the inspiration for Ilkley’s ‘water cure’ and its development as spa town.
The Darwin Gardens Millennium Green Trust would like to thank Ilkley Civic Society’s Local History Hub for the information and wonderful historic photos.