Manor House Museum, Ilkley, England, was a local heritage museum, art gallery and education centre, established in 1892 to preserve local archaeological artefacts after the spa town expanded and much Roman material was lost. It was re-opened in the present building in 1961 and closed in 2015. 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.
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.