page_title: Manor House Museum
section_title: History of the museum
hierarchical_section_title: Manor House Museum / History of the museum
caption_attribution_description: English: Blue plaque on Manor House Museum, Ilkley
context_page_description: Manor House Museum, Ilkley, England, is a local heritage museum and art gallery, 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 unfortunately had to be closed in 2015 owing to lack of funds. A group of individuals who were passionate about keeping the building open for the public formed the Ilkley Manor House Trust and in April 2018 Bradford Council transferred the Manor House and 3 adjacent cottages to the Trust as a community asset transfer.
context_section_description: The following are key events in the history of the museum:
  1892: The museum was established in 1982 by the Museum Committee (president: Dr G. Carter) under the auspices of the Ilkley Ratepayers' Association. This had become urgent when the expansion of the spa town of Ilkley caused disturbance of Roman and other remains under the town.  It was said that Roman material was being carried away by the cartload, and local antiquarians had been attempting to rescue and preserve some of these artefacts - but they had nowhere to display them. The present manor house building, known as the "Old Castle" was the committee's first choice, but was too expensive, so they bought the Old Wesleyan Chapel (born 1834).  The opening ceremony was on Thursday 25 August 1892.  The Rev. Dr Collyer, who gave the opening speech, asked his audience to guard both the rescued artefacts and the archaeological remains that were still buried under Ilkley. The first curator was Herbert Oxley, who was paid £1 per week. On 14 September it was renamed the Ilkley Museum and Antiquarian Society.
  1896: Ilkley Urban District Council took over the museum.  Oxley the curator died, to be replaced by his wife.
  1908: The museum was moved to the upper floor of the new Public Library, which had been opened in 1907. William Graham took over as curator; he held the post until 1942.
  1922: Donations had expanded the collection, but the museum could not afford to move to larger premises.  An unmanageably large collection of non-local objects interfered with classification and display of its local core items: the Roman artefacts. Therefore, the collection had to be reduced.  Many non-local items were returned to owners or sold to Keighley Museum, which was based in Victoria Hall at that time.
  1939–1948: The museum exhibits were packed away to make room for wartime administration.  The curator William Graham died and was not replaced.  Items in storage became muddled together or went missing.
  1949: The museum was re-established, with Grace Simpson restoring order, and Elsie Fletcher becoming Honorary Curator.  It was reopened on 4 June 1949 as Ilkley Museum.
  1954: Elsie Fletcher started the Olicana Museum Society, which later became the Olicana Historical Society. This society is in effect an extension of the original protective measures of the museum, in that it takes a keen interest in local archaeological and historical heritage, and organizes lectures and excursions.
  1955–1961: The Old Castle — Manor House Museum's current building - became available to the Museum but was in a sorry state and required cash and conversion.  Costs were quoted at £7,000-£10,000, but there were contributions from Ilkley Urban District Council and Percy Dalton, and a grant from the Ministry of Works. The present Manor House Museum and Art Gallery was opened on 8 July 1961.
  1962–2015: From 1963 both upper rooms were art galleries.  The caretakers lived upstairs at first, but in 1974 their rooms became offices. From 1966 to 1977 Arthur Kitching was curator and organiser of exhibitions. The restored Old Castle building itself became the main exhibit of the Museum, and from 1963 it has been supported by the Friends of the Manor House society. Since the Arts and Museums Division of the Bradford Metropolitan District was formed in 1974, the Manor House Museum has been able to get some of its lost exhibits back, and benefited from communal museum resources.
caption: The Museum's blue plaque
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