Ilkley Eastside Wander #7: Wharfedale Grange Overview
This is the 7th of a series of 20 caches which takes you around some of the lovely countryside immediately to the east of Ilkley.
The cache, a camo-taped screw-topped sample tube, is hidden at the side of a small trail leading up from the The Mount to Gib Field Farm lane, along the eastern edge of a large field and across the top of a high steep bank overlooking the large Wharfedale Grange Farm and a large retirement home complex.
See GC8PCW2 Ilkley East Wander #1: Intro and . . . Prick!? for information on the series and waypoints. See Gallery for an annotated map with cache locations and parking spots.
To reach the cache location:
If doing in sequence: from IEW#6, head east down the lane towards the retirement village complex and just before the first buildings @ N 53 54.964 W 1 47.233 look out for a small trail heading left (north). Follow this up and along the edge of a grassy field to the cache location.
If doing out of sequence: a) park at P2 next to location of IEW#6 and then continue as above. Note: depending on space available and any restrictions, it may be possible to park (briefly) opposite the buildings @ N 53 54.955 W 1 47.195 some 50m down the lane from the trailhead above.
The cache path continues down to the extension of Ben Rhydding Drive which also heads up towards Gib Field and beyond to an exit gate giving access to Hangingstone Road and across to Burley Moor.
Crossing Ben Rhydding Drive the trail continues past a small patch of woodland and across the northern edge of the Ben Rhydding golf course passing #10 and #11 en route before exiting into Low Wood on the eastern edge of Beh Rhydding.
The junction of this trail with Ben Rhydding Drive is somewhere near the location of the Wicken Tree* Well which is shown on the 1851 Ordnance Survey map of the area - but not on more recent maps. Presumably it was destroyed during later development of the area. *A Wicken or witch tree is a rowan or mountain ash.
Old OS maps (eg. 1851) show 'Wharfedale Grange' to the east of the farm and Clevedon buildings and seem to apply to the whole farm/residential buildings complex on either side of Ben Rhydding Drive. Others show 'The Mount' instead.
Current maps either show 'Wharfedale Grange Farm' to the west of the farm (OS) or, in the case of Google Maps, show 'Audley Clevedon' (retirement village) in the wrong location and do not show 'Wharfedale Grange'.
It is believed that the farm dates from the 17th century and thus predates The Mount (now Clevedon House) which was built in 1780. In 1881-1884 the Ilkley & Wharfedale Orphanage & Children's Home established by William Henry Conyers was housed in the farm whilst Mr Conyers & family resided at The Mount.
In 1884 part of the farm was made into the private residence of a Mr Milnes. In 1887/8 the whole site called 'Wharfedale Grange - The Mount & Wharfedale Grange Farm' was offered for sale, let or lease by Mr Conyers.
In 1894, the farm was owned by Thomas Bairstow Fox (who again lived at The Mount) and used for horse-breeding.
Nothing can be found on more recent history. Now a converted barn at the farm is rented out as luxury B&B accommodation.