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Saturday 11am - 4pm Sunday 11am - 4pm

http://www.ilkleymanorhouse.org/

Ilkley Manor House, Castle Yard, Ilkley (2026)

14/10/2026

Our largest office space at Ilkley Manor House is now available to rent, comfortably accommodating a team of 4–5 people.

Set in the beautiful courtyard of our historic Manor House, this unique space offers an inspiring and peaceful working environment, right in the heart of Ilkley, away from the noise and distractions of a busy high street.

What we offer:

• Space for your team: A generous office comfortably accommodating 4–5 people.

• An inspiring setting: Work within the historic courtyard of one of Ilkley's most iconic cultural landmarks and be part of a thriving creative community .

• Ready to work: WiFi, utilities included and a welcoming, productive atmosphere.

• Shared facilities: Access to a shared kitchen and toilets.

• Flexible terms: A straightforward, hassle-free licence agreement.

Whether you're a growing creative business, an arts organisation or a small team looking for a more inspiring place to work, Ilkley Manor House could be your perfect new base.

Monthly licence fee: £600

Step away from the home office and become part of the vibrant cultural environment at Ilkley Manor House.

Interested in finding out more or arranging a viewing?

Contact our Site Manager at [email protected].

13/10/2026

We’re delighted to welcome Sarah McQuaid back to Ilkley Manor House for an intimate evening of live music upstairs in the Western Gallery.
Born in Spain, raised in Chicago and now based in Cornwall, Sarah brings a rich mix of musical influences to her songwriting. Her distinctive, resonant voice and musicianship make this a chance to settle in and hear an accomplished performer up close.

Her live album, The St Buryan Sessions, was recorded during lockdown in a medieval Cornish church, with Sarah performing on acoustic and electric guitars, piano and floor tom drum. The recordings capture the breadth of her music, and you can watch all 15 performances on her website for a taste of what to expect.

Whether you’ve heard Sarah here before or will be joining us for the first time, we’d love to welcome you.

Thursday 26 November 2026 7.30pm–9.30pm • Doors open 7pm Western Gallery, Ilkley Manor House Tickets £16

Book through the Ticket Tailor link on our website, or through the links on our Social Media, or at the Ilkley Manor House Box Office when we’re open at weekends.

A limited number may be available on the door, subject to availability.
Listen and find out more: sarahmcquaid.com

12/10/2026

🐑 A woolly addition to the Manor House roof.

One of the opportunities created by the current re-roofing work is the chance to improve the insulation at Ilkley Manor House.

As Roger explains, anyone who has spent time here during the colder months will know that the building can get decidedly chilly. The new insulation should help the Manor House retain more heat and reduce the energy needed to keep it comfortable.

But in a historic building, choosing insulation isn’t simply a matter of keeping the warmth in.

The insulation being installed is Thermafleece, made largely from British sheep’s wool. One of wool’s useful properties is its ability to absorb moisture from the air and release it again as conditions change. This helps manage moisture within the roof structure, an important consideration in old buildings where trapped damp can cause problems.

The wool is also treated to protect it against damage from clothes moths and carpet beetles, an important consideration in a historic building housing exhibitions and collections

And there’s another pleasing element too: Thermafleece explains on its website: “As proud licensees of British Wool, we source locally and manufacture in Yorkshire.”

We'll be back with more roof updates again.

12/10/2026

Music, live painting, the River Wharfe, improvisation, and a painting changing in front of an audience who could see every decision, alteration and unexpected turn as it happened.

And afterwards, people had a lot to say about the evening spent in the company of Latterhand and Anji Timlin upstairs at the Manor House.

“I wasn’t thinking. I wasn’t in my head at all. Just feeling the vibration.”

“As a non-artist, it was really interesting seeing the process. I’ve never watched someone paint.”

“It’s really beautiful, but also really calming.”

Several people spoke about the sense of flow between the music and the painting, and how they'd picked up some new techniques, while others found themselves thinking about rivers, landscape, poetry, rhythm and the people who have lived alongside these waterways over time.

The evening ended with a fascinating Q&A with Anji and Ian and Phil from Latterhand about the process behind what we had just watched. Too much to squeeze into one post, so we’re hoping to bring you some of that conversation later.

CONDUiT – Wharfespeed by Anji Timlin is now in its final weekend at Ilkley Manor House, closing Sunday 18 October. If you are on the Art Trail next weekend make us one of your stops, Anji will be upstairs at the Manor House in person to talk about her work.

Saturday & Sunday
11am–4pm
Free entry

More details are available on Anji's website www.anjitimlin.com. The CONDUiT project is supported by and HATCH

10/10/2026

What might an ancient local goddess mean to people today?

Our next Talks, Walks and Coffee Mornings event explores that question with A Pagan View of Verbeia, led by Suzie Quartly.

Suzie is a practising pagan and a founder of the English Goddess Project, which brings together historical research and modern spirituality to explore goddesses honoured in England and their connections with the landscape.

Drawing on her recent research, she’ll explore Verbeia through pagan spirituality, considering how this ancient local goddess may be understood as a living deity today. It’s a chance to hear a different perspective on Ilkley’s heritage, with time for questions and conversation.

Friday 30 October
Arrive at 10:15am for a hot drink and biscuit.
The talk begins at 10:30am and lasts roughly an hour, including questions.

Tickets £5 • 30 places

Book through the Ticket Tailor link on our website, through the links on our social media, or at the Ilkley Manor House Box Office when we’re open at weekends.

A limited number of tickets may be available on the door, subject to availability.

09/10/2026

Ahead of our full reel from this evening’s wonderful performance of live music and painting with Latterhand and Anji Timlin, here’s a little souvenir of a rather special evening at Ilkley Manor House.

Infinitely mesmerising, and almost meditative, everyone was absorbed in the interplay between the musicians and the painter. At times the musicians seemed to be responding to Anji’s brushstrokes which were varied and expressive; sometimes sure and gestural, sometimes meandering and exploratory; at others, the music appeared to lead the painting.
As one of our visitors remarked afterwards, it wasn’t about thinking at all it was just … experiencing.
So here’s just a small moment from an evening that invited us all to be completely present to something being created in real time.

08/10/2026

When you repair the roof of a Grade I listed building, making everything look new isn’t the aim.

As work gets under way on the Manor House roof, one of the jobs will be deciding which of the existing stone slates can be retained, and where they should go back.

Around 20% of the stone is currently expected to need renewal. The remaining slates have to be carefully assessed and graded by the roofing specialists so that their differing sizes, thicknesses and the existing pattern of the roof will accommodate each other when they are relaid.

There’s another detail which may seem surprising: the old slates will go back with their weathered faces still facing upwards, rather than being turned over to reveal a cleaner surface.

Bradford Council's guidance on repairing historic stone slate roofs recommends reusing as much of the existing material as possible. It also advises against turning old slates over, as the previously unexposed surface may be less resistant to weathering.

At Ilkley Manor House, Roger explains that retaining the weathered faces of the existing slates will also help preserve the aged appearance of the roof, while allowing new stone to be distinguished from the original material. And the idea isn’t to disguise every intervention. Where new stone is required, it will remain possible to distinguish the replacement material from the historic fabric. This approach is consistent with Historic England’s published Conservation Principles, Policies and Guidance, which advises that changes to historic buildings should generally be distinguishable on inspection, without unnecessarily disrupting their overall appearance.

It is one of the realities of working with an old building: however carefully you investigate beforehand, the building itself still has more to tell you once the work begins.

There will be more to come on the work taking place on the Manor House roof.

07/10/2026

Concert with live music and live painting as part of the CONDUiT: Wharfespeed project at Ilkley Manor House this Friday 9th of October.

Bradford-based audiovisual duo join artist for a one-off evening inspired by the River Wharfe.

Collaborating for an evening of live performance and painting exploring the sights and sounds of the River Wharfe, Latterhand will create ambient soundscapes with piano, violin and field recordings from the river while Anji paints. The emerging painting will be projected onto a large screen as it develops in response to the music. This one-off show offers a unique opportunity to see and hear artists and musicians working together.
�Tickets £15. Tickets may be purchased online via Ticket Tailor through the website or Social Media Links, or in person at the Box Office on weekends when Ilkley Manor House is open.

Limited tickets may be available on the door, subject to availability.

Doors open at 7:00pm with refreshments available to purchase.
The performance begins at 7:30pm.

The CONDUiT exhibition continues until the 18th of October and is part of the Ilkley Art Trail, so do drop in to talk to Anji about her work.
The CONDUiT project is supported by and .

Music: Worth 3.2 by Latterhand

Friday 9th October | 7.30pm–9.30pm�Western Gallery, Ilkley Manor House�Tickets £15.00

Accessibility Information: First Floor Access via 18 steps No lift available

Anji Timlin and Paintings photographed by Daniel Johnson Gray

05/10/2026

Why does our roof repair need quite so much scaffolding?

If you’ve visited Ilkley Manor House recently, you may have wondered why our relatively small historic building currently requires such an impressive amount of scaffolding and protective hoarding.

So this isn't just about providing access to the roof. A section of the scaffold has been built at double width so the stone slates can be stored, sorted and graded in place at roof level as work progresses.

That gives the roofing team the space they need to assess the existing slates carefully before they are put back into position.

The scaffold also allows much closer inspection of the building than was possible from the ground. As areas are opened up during the work, what is found can be examined and recorded, adding to the detailed record of the Manor House for the future.

So although the scaffolding and protective covering may currently dominate the view, they are also creating the working space needed to carry out this kind of careful conservation work.

We'll have another update following soon.

04/10/2026

Ilkley Manor House is joining Ilkley Arts Open Studios on 17 & 18 October.
Make Ilkley Manor House one of your stops across the weekend and discover two exhibitions currently filling the galleries: CONDUiT – Wharfespeed by Anji Timlin, an immersive exploration of the River Wharfe, and A Path Well Travelled, by up to 30 local artists celebrating journeys, landscapes and the paths that shape us.
Saturday & Sunday, 11am–4pm Free entry

Ilkley Manor House Castle Yard, Ilkley West Yorkshire, LS29 9DT
[email protected]
Come for the Open Studios, and discover even more art along the way

Ilkley Manor House

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