First World War memorial landscape, 1922, by John James Joass of London, with Second World War memorials added in the early 1950s.
LOCATION Ilkley Memorial Gardens is located on a prominent site at the heart of the town centre at the west end of The Grove, Ilkley's principal shopping street. The garden is bordered by The Grove to the east, Grove Road and Kings Road to the south, The Grove's junction with Bolton Bridge Road to the north, and Parish Ghyll stream to the west.
The garden, which is approximately 3,286 sq. m in area, has an irregular hexagonal shape with the narrowest part at the east end and the second narrowest part at the west end bordering Parish Ghyll stream.
The principal structures, which comprise the First World War cenotaph, Second World War memorial shrine and shelter pavilions (all listed at Grade II), are imposing architectural monuments and features that act as focal points within the memorial landscape.
MEMORIAL LANDSCAPE A First World War memorial is located to the centre of the garden at the end of an axial processional avenue/walk lined with lime trees that runs east-west from a gated main entrance at the east end of the garden. Further secondary gated entrances lie on the north and south sides of the garden and provide access to short avenues that lead to the memorial and also an arcing path that sweeps around the west end of the garden and provides access to a Second World War memorial and pavilion shelters. The First World War memorial is surrounded by an octagonal shaped area of hard landscaping with a squared-off east end and bench seating. The Second World War memorial shrine lies on the same axis as the First World war memorial and is located towards the west end of the garden. It is flanked on each side by pavilion shelters that are arranged in an arc formation around the west path.
As well as the three avenues converging on the First World War memorial from the main and secondary entrances, three further short avenues/paths project out from the memorial to the west, north-west and south-west in the style of spokes of a wheel to join with the arcing west path, which also has bench seating. Wedge-shaped areas of lawn incorporating large flower beds to their centre separate the avenue/path 'spokes' from each other. The remaining areas of the east section of the garden are laid to lawn with two flowerbeds to the north-east and south-east of the First World War memorial, and a further narrow flowerbed to the north-east of the north pavilion shelter.
A very large horse chestnut tree (pre-dating the memorial garden) occupies the far north corner of the garden and two individual lime trees lie within the lawned areas to the north and south of the main tree-lined processional avenue. The garden is enclosed on the north, east and south roadsides by decorative wrought-iron fencing that is planted with beech hedging shaped into a wave formation. Two further short sections of beech hedging with a flat top flank the north pavilion shelter. The far west end of the garden behind the Second World War memorial shrine and pavilion shelters is in the style of a woodland glade with grass, shrubs and trees, including spruces.
PRINCIPAL STRUCTURES The First World War memorial (Grade II listed) is constructed of Portland stone and consists of a square cenotaph surmounted by an urn, which is set upon a large stepped octagonal platform with concave corners and small Portland stone bollards. Each face of the cenotaph has bronze panels recording the names, rank and regiment of those killed, along with a commemorative inscription on the east face facing the garden's main entrance and processional path.
The Second World War memorial shrine (Grade II listed) is also constructed of Portland stone and takes the form of a classical triumphal arch-style shrine with a tripartite east front. The shrine is set upon a large irregular-hexagonal shaped plinth. Inscribed tablets within the shrine interior record and commemorate those killed during the war, as well as a soldier killed in Cyprus in 1956. Flanking the Second World War shrine are two pavilion shelters (Grade II listed) that also form part of the Second World War memorial. The shrine and pavilions are arranged around the arc of the garden's west path and all face the First World War memorial.
SUBSIDIARY STRUCTURES Enclosing the memorial garden on the north, south and east roadsides is decorative wrought-iron fencing (Grade II listed). At the east end of the garden, and forming the main entrance, is a pair of square sandstone gate piers with rounded caps surmounted by wrought-iron lamp standards, and decorative wrought-iron gates (all Grade II listed). Further smaller wrought-iron gates in similar style exist to entrances on the north and south roadsides (both Grade II listed); that to the south side alongside King's Road is accessed via a flight of stone steps with side walls surmounted by low wrought-iron railings in similar style to the gates (Grade II listed).