06 – Grove House

The Ilkley Bath Charity was established in 1829, to enable the poor to benefit from treatment at the Ilkley White Wells spring and baths.  At this time the spring and baths were leased from Mr. Middelton by Joseph Beanland, of Ilkley. Mr Beanland charged First bath, 3s. each person per week ; shower bath, 3s. ; second bath, 2s. ; third (or poor) bath, half the above charges.

Rev George Fenton, who in 1829 was curate-in-charge of the Ilkley parish, was instrumental in establishing the Charity.  Rev. Fenton was also the originator of the “canker,” or soft water wells in Green Lane (now The Grove), and collected the water in tanks.  The canker water was much resorted to for ailments of the eyes, and it was also drunk for its tonic properties.

The benefits of the Charity were confined to persons suffering from scorbutic (scurvy) and similar ailments, to whom a grant of 5s. per week only was allowed, the patients paying the expenses of their board and lodging while at Ilkley.  Subscribers of one guinea were allowed to send one patient to remain for six weeks, and to whom the above grant was made during their stay.

It’s first Superintending Committee of Management consisted of Mr. George Greenwood, of Netherwood; Mr. Jonas Whitaker, of Greenholme; Rev. Henry Robinson, Vicar of Otley.  The Honorary Medical Advisers were The Medical Officers of the Leeds and Bradford Infirmaries with the visiting surgeon Dr. John Spence, of Otley.  Rev Fenton served as Honorary Secretary until he died in 1843.

From the published report for 1831, between three and four hundred patients from the manufacturing and rural portions of Yorkshire, but chiefly from Leeds and Bradford, were relieved out of the funds of the Institution.  In 1842 there were about 200 subscribers including some of the most influential persons in the neighbourhood at the time.  The Charity continued with the average number of patients continuing around 300 up to 1860, although it was noted that the lodging accommodations was poor and that the income of the Charity was not keeping up with the expense.

Dr John Spence and subsequently his son and partner Dr William Spence had much to do with the Ilkley Bath Charity.  For many years Dr William Spence had nearly the whole of the work under his charge, continuing the position until 1860, when he was succeeded by Dr. Call. .The “consulting room” and pay office was (by 1893 an old and dilapidated structure) the “Charity Hole”, Church Street, next to the old Vicarage.  It was here where Dr. Spence gave out medicines, and where the patients received their five shillings weekly to pay for board and lodgings.  The “Hole” was not specially built for the purposes of the Charity, but is much older, being a portion of the old Vicarage, the gable end of which is shown.  The room being so small, the patients had to wait in the street until their turn came to see the doctor or to receive their weekly doles.

The need for a hospital was known however it was not until three subscribers, led by Rev. Canon Jackson, of Leeds in 1859 visited patients in Ilkley saw for themselves the poor accommodation available that they enlisted the sympathies of the Rev. John Snowdon, vicar of Ilkley, Mr. Benjamin. Briggs Popplewell, of Bradford resident of Beacon Hill – (see also Wells House Blue Plaque 3), Mr. John Smith, manager of Beckett’s Bank, Leeds, and Mr. William. Fison, of Burley (Greenholme Mill), with the result that a field was rented on a lease of ninety-nine years, operations for the erection of a building to accommodate fifty patients were commenced, and the building was completed in 1861.  The field, which is only part of the property today, was owned by the Poor of Ilkley held in trust by Vicar and Churchwardens of the Parish of Ilkley, which in 1878 the freehold was purchased from the Governors of Ilkley Grammar School for £600.

Money for the hospital was raised by subscriptions, notably sums of £100 each from Mrs. Ellis, in memory of her father, the late John Cunliffe, a native of Ilkley; Titus Salt, Sons & Co., of Saltaire; and John Crossley & Sons, of Halifax.  The cost of the Hospital and its furnishings amounted to £3,016, which was all cleared off during the year 1864.  Messrs Perkins & Backhouse of Leeds were the architects.

At this time the Charity changed its name to The Ilkley Hospital.

With opening of the hospital more patients could be admitted, and the rules changed such that every patient was entitled to three weeks, enjoying lodging, board, medical attendance, and baths but that afterwards if agreed with the Medical Officer patients may remain for a period not exceeding three weeks longer, but the sum of seven shillings per week must be paid.

William Cudworth writes “The Ilkley Hospital being the first convalescent institution founded in Yorkshire, its early years were regarded somewhat in the nature of: an experiment, but it soon became exceedingly popular, and, judged from every standard, an unqualified success. It was in fact a pioneer in institutions of the kind, and the precursor of many similar convalescent establishments in this and other parts of the kingdom.

The whole area of land that the current property extends over was acquired piecemeal.  On May 24th, 1869 a piece of land to the north was purchased from William Middelton, Esq., for £180, on November 8th, 1870 a piece of land to the west was purchased from  by Mr. Saunders for £150, on December 20th, 1870 another piece of land to the west was purchased from William Middelton, Esq., for £300, on July 16th, 1873 a piece of land on the south-west was purchased from William Wilkinson for £300.

The Hospital Trustees in 1871 sold a piece of land for £221 17s., for the site of the Police Station, and in December 1880, sold a plot of land, for £15 15s., to the Trustees of the Congregational Church.

By 1884 the success of the hospital required that an enlargement was carried out.  Mr. C. H. Hargreaves was the architect, and the building was opened at the commencement of the season in 1885.  The principal frontage was towards The Grove, the eastern and western wings front respectively to Riddings Road and Parish Ghyll Road, while the back portion of the building, which included the courtyard, had a southerly aspect.  There were separate living rooms of large dimensions for male and female patients, a fine dining-hall, with spacious kitchen, scullery, washhouse, matron’s apartments, surgery, library, bathrooms, on the ground floor. The additional accommodation provided for thirty more patients.

Amongst other needful requirements were two detached sick rooms, boot house, smoke room, and mortuary, and excellent heating for the whole building.  The upper storey were bedrooms.  The garden contained a pavilion or summer house.  The total sum subscribed to the building fund was £2,960 which sufficed for the building and re-furnishing.  It was mainly the efforts of Mr William Fison that the funds were collected, and the enlargement carried out.

In 1886 the name of the Charity was altered to the “Ilkley Hospital and Convalescent Home.”  Over the short course of its existence it had been known by 18 names and did need to settle on one.  The first thirty-one years to 1893 had seen the hospital take in 23,000 admissions and renewals, reaching nearly 1,100 a year.

During the First World War, it was used as an auxiliary military hospital, then became the Grove Convalescent Hospital. It relied on voluntary donations as the amount paid by the War Office was insufficient to fund the full range of services.

During World War II it took in many patients from London, Hull & other big cities, many suffering from shock, insomnia & the effects of raids.  A large number of these people came under the auspices of a committee representing the Congregationalists and Baptists of Ilkley.   Others came under health insurance and work people's associations; many of them were employed in munitions and other war work (Ilkley at War, by Caroline Brown and Chris Brown).