23 – Heath House

On August 9th Sylvia Cunliffe unveiled Ilkley Civic Society’s 23rd Blue Plaque at Heath House, Wells Walk Ilkley.

This land was sold during the Middelton land sales in 1872 to James Rhodes, a fine art dealer who lived at Albert House on Queens Road.  By 1874 he had sold the land to Robert Morrell, a Bradford provision merchant. He obtained planning permission for a pair of villa residences, Barlby Villas, designed by architect Thomas Clarke of Bradford and Ilkley. Robert Morrell lived there for a while with his niece Eleanor and 2 servants.  The other attached Villa is Holme Lea.

By 1884 Barlby Villas had been leased to James Crowther Naylor, a dentist. He continued to live here until he died in his armchair at the house in March 1926 aged 83.  Mr. Naylor was a significant member of the Wesleyan Church, the local education committee, the Board of Governors of the Grammar School and his fondness  of music was expressed through the Ilkley Vocal Society.  Meanwhile the ownership of the property passed through several hands and in 1929 it was sold to Mrs Annie Thornton.  She continued to rent the house out, and renamed it Athos and later Heathville.  Ownership changes took place until the Lamberts bought it to be their family home. In 1986 the name changed to Heath House and in 1992 John and Sylvia Cunliffe bought it.

 

John Cunliffe was born in 1933 in Colne. He was a librarian and held various posts, including a mobile library in Northumbria. Finally he became Childrens’ Librarian in Brighton. He began to write children’s stories, which were published as picture books. He also published collections of poetry.

He and Sylvia married in 1960. In 1972 they moved to the Lake District so John could train as a primary school teacher. He obtained a post in Ambleside. Here he could live amongst the mountains he loved, and continue to write stories in the holidays. He created Postman Pat and later wrote and presented Rosie and Jim.

The first broadcast of Postman Pat was in Sept 1981. The books he wrote later.

By 1992 they were looking for a new home. They couldn’t find what they were looking for in the Lake District but by chance found it in Ilkley. John spent the next 26 years there happily writing stories, accumulating more and more books, and exploring the surrounding countryside with great pleasure. He became a feature of the Ilkley Literature Festival.

 

Postman Pat enabled John to write full time. Heath House provided him with the best possible environment to do that.
John valued Ilkley with all its advantages – cultural, culinary and countryside – a writer’s paradise, and the perfect setting for him to write the final scripts for Postman Pat.

If you have pictures or stories to share about the building, please contact Ilkley Local History Hub – localhistory@civicsociety.ilkley.org

Written by Ilkley Civic Society Local History Hub.

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