Ilkley Manor House

31/08/2026

CONDUiT: Wharfespeed Exhibition Opening:
Saturday 12 Sept, 12pm - 3pm in the Western Gallery at Ilkley Manor House.

Artist Anji Timlin presents Wharfespeed, and invites you to see her new large scale, lyrical and immersive river paintings, and enjoy a series of connected events for the CONDUiT project.

12.15-12.30pm Anji will talk about the project and the paintings

1.30pm will sing to the river outside from the garden.

From 2.30pm there will be live music in the gallery from and screening of underwater film about the Wharfe, The Kingdom Beneath The Current.

We’ll link to Anji’s Website in our highlights for this event and information about the upcoming poetry readings, storytelling, and live painting, all part of the CONDUiT project, supported by and

Photo credit for Anji’s painting: ‘Midsummer Eve, Lumb Hole’ to Daniel Johnson Gray

31/08/2026

There are buildings in Ilkley you can walk past for years without quite knowing what has happened inside them.
Heritage Open Days are a good excuse to look again.

Across two September dates, Ilkley Manor House will be opening up a less familiar part of its past through guided tours, a special display and a family afternoon designed to make that history tangible for younger visitors too.

If you already know the Manor House, this is a chance to see it differently.
If you’ve never been inside, it’s a very good reason to start.

And for families, Saturday afternoon offers something refreshingly hands-on: dressing up, making, looking closely at the building and finding out how people once lived there.

The events form part of Heritage Open Days 2026: Everyday Histories, the national festival exploring the working lives, routines and experiences of ordinary people.

Saturday 12 September
Guided tour · 11am
Family activities · 2–3.30pm

Sunday 20 September
Guided tour · 2pm

Entry is free, donations are appreciated and no booking is required.

Activities take place downstairs or outside when the weather is suitable.

28/08/2026

Could your work be part of Ilkley’s Christmas Makers’ Fair?

Applications are open for the Ilkley Manor House Christmas Makers’ Fair 2026.

Now in its ninth year, the fair brings together original work by talented local and regional artists, crafters, designers and makers, all within the beautiful surroundings of our Grade I-listed Manor House.

Last year, the fair welcomed an outstanding 758 visitors.
One of our stallholders told us:
“My sales were good on both days, and I was pleased to see a steady footfall throughout.”

Taking place alongside Ilkley’s Christmas celebrations on The Grove, this year’s fair promises a wonderfully festive atmosphere, with an Ilkley Arts exhibition in the Courtyard Cottage, mulled wine, mince pies and Christmas carols.

We would love to hear from professional makers selling original, handmade work, including:
Ceramics • Jewellery • Textiles • Prints • Artwork • Cards • Homeware • Handcrafted gifts

Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 November 2026�10am–5pm�Ilkley Manor House
�Applications are free.�An optional Friday evening set-up helps make arrival stress-free

Apply by 15 September 2026 through CuratorSpace: https://www.curatorspace.com/opportunities/detail/ilkley-manor-house-christmas-makers-fair/10967
Please share this opportunity with an artist or maker whose work you would love to see at the fair.

26/08/2026

Due to high demand we've added a FEW EXTRA TICKETS for Bard in the Yard on Sunday 30th and Monday 31st of August.

August 2026 marks the seventh year of Bard in the Yard, when Ilkley Playhouse brings miniature Shakespeare to the Manor House Yard. Last year’s productions were Antony and Cleopatra and As You Like It. This year, audiences can enjoy The Merchant of Venice, directed by Dick Hebbert, alongside Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Andrew Leggott.

Performed in a minimalist style that lets Shakespeare’s words take centre stage, these two shortened productions will be presented in the courtyard of Ilkley Manor House on Sunday 30 August and Bank Holiday Monday 31 August, from 2pm to around 4pm.

There will be a 20-minute interval.
Timings are approximate.

30th Aug 2026 - 31st Aug 2026
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Tickets are £8 for general admission, and £5 for students (please bring ID).
📌 Tickets available through TicketTailor - see the link in our Profile.

Accessibility Information:
This event will take place outside in the Ilkley Manor House courtyard. There are several benches which each seat up to five people, as well as boxes, and chairs. The Castle Yard area is cobbled and so can be uneven in places. Please Note: In the case of inclement weather, the performance will relocate to Ilkley Playhouse and take place indoors.

23/08/2026

We have a full programme of events coming to Ilkley Manor House over the next few months. Here’s a look at our Autumn & Winter schedule, and save this post so you can find the dates again when planning a visit.

The season begins in September with Anji Timlin’s immersive exhibition, CONDUiT – Wharfespeed, alongside the Solar Artists group exhibition, A Path Well Travelled. Fran’s Life Group returns later in the autumn with original work available to buy.

Our live programme ranges from Samuel Moore’s solo flamenco guitar to a collaboration between Latterhand and Anji Timlin. In November, acclaimed singer-songwriter Sarah McQuaid comes to the Manor House.

Heritage Open Days will reveal more about the building’s life as the Old Castle, including the story of the Robinson family and former Cottage 7. Our talks and Coffee Mornings will explore local figures, Ilkley’s Roman past and archaeological finds.

For Halloween, Ilkley Playhouse returns with free afternoon storytelling for younger listeners, followed by an evening of rather darker tales inside the historic house.

There will also be free Family Fun sessions throughout the season, with activities inspired by local history, autumn and Christmas. Family Fun dates and Coffee Morning times are now on the website.

November brings the Christmas Makers’ Fair, filling the Manor House with work from local and regional makers. If you’re an artist or maker yourself, see Friday’s post for details of our open call and how to apply to take part in this year’s fair.

The season then concludes with Ilkley in the 1950s, offering a glimpse into the town seventy years ago and inviting visitors to contribute their own memories and family stories.

We’ll be sharing more about each event as the season unfolds, including the people involved and the stories behind the programme. Full event and booking information will also be available through the Ilkley Manor House website.

And remember, the Manor House is open at weekends from 11am to 4pm. Admission to the House and exhibitions is free, although some individual events and performances are ticketed. See you soon.

21/08/2026

Could your work be part of Ilkley’s Christmas Makers’ Fair?

Applications are now open for the Ilkley Manor House Christmas Makers’ Fair 2026.

Now in its ninth year, the fair brings together original work by talented local and regional artists, crafters, designers and makers, all within the beautiful surroundings of our Grade I-listed Manor House.

Last year, the fair welcomed an outstanding 758 visitors.

One of our stallholders told us:
“My sales were good on both days, and I was pleased to see a steady footfall throughout.”

Taking place alongside Ilkley’s Christmas celebrations on The Grove, this year’s fair promises a wonderfully festive atmosphere, with an Ilkley Arts exhibition in the Courtyard Cottage, mulled wine, mince pies and Christmas carols.

We would love to hear from professional makers selling original, handmade work, including:
Ceramics • Jewellery • Textiles • Prints • Artwork • Cards • Homeware • Handcrafted gifts

Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 November 2026�10am–5pm�Ilkley Manor House
�Applications are free�An optional Friday evening set-up helps make arrival stress-free

Apply by 15 September 2026 through CuratorSpace: https://www.curatorspace.com/opportunities/detail/ilkley-manor-house-christmas-makers-fair/10967
Please share this opportunity with an artist or maker whose work you would love to see at the fair.

20/08/2026

Looking forward to the launch of Colin Speakman’s book at Ilkley Manor House on the 28th of August at 6pm. Tickets available at our page on Ticket Tailor: www.tickettailor.com/events/ilkleymanorhousetrust/

COLIN Speakman, co-creator of the Dales Way, is a well-known Yorkshire writer, the author of over 60 books including popular walking guides,…

18/08/2026

Sixty years of Yorkshire, in verse.

We're proud to host the launch of So Let It Be, the newly collected poems of Colin Speakman, one of Yorkshire's most celebrated writers, campaigners and countryside voices.

Rather than a conventional poetry reading this will be more experiential. An illustrated talk in four parts, split by an interval, weaving words and images through Yorkshire's landscape, history, people and threatened natural world. Something genuinely different for an evening out.

Colin has written or co-written around 60 books on Yorkshire and its countryside. Colin co-founded the Yorkshire Dales Society (now Friends of the Dales), created the Dales Way, and has been honoured with a D.Lit from Bradford University, the Dalesman Rural Lifetime Achievement Award, UK Transport Campaigner of the Year, and the OWPG's Golden Eagle Lifetime Achievement Award.

So Let It Be draws together poems spanning six decades of a voice shaped by this landscape.

So Let It Be: Collected Poems by Colin Speakman�
Friday 28 August 2026 | 6:00pm | £10

Tickets: �https://www.tickettailor.com/events/ilkleymanorhousetrust/2301425

Accessibility: first floor event, via 18 steps, no lift available. Please check our website for the latest updates before visiting.

So Let It Be: Collected Poems by Colin Speakman – Ilkley Manor House, Fri 28 Aug 2026 - Ilkley Manor House is proud to host the launch of So Let It Be: Collected Poems by Colin Speakman, a celebrated Yorkshire writer, campaigner and author whose work has been deeply connected to the landscapes, hi...