THIS article is part of a series exploring the early days of Shipley Glen, the development of Victorian rides and the later attractions of the Japanese Gardens and fairground on Prod Lane.
* Eldwick Glen or Shipley Glen?
The Glen is situated on Bracken Hall Green in Baildon, originally under the rights of the Lord of the Manor. As early as 1846 newspaper reports referred to Eldwick Glen as a destination for Bradford and Leeds visitors travelling by train to the newly built Shipley station, then walking to the Glen.
Locally many residents called it Eldwick Glen up until the 1900s, but from 1851 some newspapers began referring to it as Shipley Glen. From 1856 travellers used the newly built Saltaire station to reach the Glen.
* Catering: Originally, church, Sunday school, Band of Hope and Temperance groups used the Glen to hold meetings and organise picnics. Individuals and families increasingly visited the area to escape the grime and dirt of industrial cities and the drudgery of their jobs.
Accordingly there were two Temperance Hotels on the plateau namely Old Glen House, opened in 1850 and the British Temperance Tea and Coffee House which was housed in a 400-year-old timber framed Cruck building. Both served afternoon teas and provided simple entertainment in the form of swings and games.
Opened in 1854, another establishment, Broadstones, also known as the White House could be found on the Eldwick/ Bingley side of the Glen. From 1857 it too provided dancing and games as well as afternoon teas.
* Growing Numbers of Visitors: Newspaper records show that by 1868 increasing numbers of West Yorkshire workers and families were visiting the Glen, particularly at Easter. In 1871 the Bank Holidays Act was introduced giving workers the right to extra paid holidays. This again led to a significant increase in people visiting the area.
The building of a railway station at Ilkley proved attractive to those who wished to walk from Shipley Glen over the moors and return home by train.
Consequently the Acorn Inn at Eldwick and the Fleece (later Dick Hudson’s) at High Eldwick became popular for those who wanted a meal and an alcoholic drink. By 1873 and 1874 newspapers estimated that at Easter 35,000 people were visiting the Glen.
* Fairground: In 1873, the first Easter Bank Holiday Fair was held. Prior to this the Temperance Hotels had offered limited entertainment. These Fairs would provide alternative entertainment to growing numbers of visitors for over 40 years. The last one was held in 1913.
Choices included merry-go-rounds, archery, games of choice, quoits, and Aunt Sally stalls (throwing and knocking down games).
Initially there was no charge to fairground providers for their stalls, however in 1878 a new Lord of the Manor started charging a “toll proportionate to the pretentions of each establishment.”
One difficulty was the lack of provision of water or toilet facilities on the Glen. This caused problems for the permanent businesses whose facilities were used by visitors without permission. As it was, permanent residents had to cook/cater by paraffin stove as there was no gas supply to the Glen.
* Adapting: During 1882 the owner of Old Glen House advertised the running of Circular Tram Cars on a track near his establishment. He also built boat swings and gave donkey rides in the garden and provided a 300-seat room for customers and functions. Lemon cheese was also made and sold on the premises.
The owners of the Cruck House were the first providers of ham and egg teas on the Glen and they also produced Old Glen Toffee. They kept a pig, hens and bees in a garden stocked with birds and fruit, and were well known local herbalists.
The Lord of the Manor insisted that the building was demolished in 1885. Members of the family built a new house on Prod Lane where they opened a Tea Garden. The site of the Cruck House was near the current Bracken Hall Countryside Centre.
The next stage of development on the Glen was as a result of the Royal Yorkshire Jubilee Exhibition, held in Saltaire in 1887.
Important features of the Exhibition included a Toboggan Slide, a Switchback Railway (added later), a Camera Obscura, and a Japanese Village. The Switchback was transferred to the Glen and sited in a field next to Bracken Hall Farm, the Toboggan Slide would later be replicated down the steep side of the Glen and Japanese Gardens would later be opened on Prod Lane.
To be continued.
* Alan Cattell’s book, Bingley a Living History, is available at Luscombes and the Post Office in Bingley.
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