Historial Burley ALC Bonus
This bonus cache, which can be done in 30 minutes, highlights 6 additional historical features of the eastern part of Main Street, which was where the village was originally centred.
It uses the 5 values (A-E) obtained from completion of each of the ALC steps to obtain the northerlies and the following 6 values (F-H and J-L) from this cache for the westerlies . . .
Step 1: Make your way to the published coordinates N 53 54.727 W 1 44.520 where you will find a small memorial plaque attached to the rear of a stone gatepost commemorating an awful accident. It was dedicated in June 199F
Step 2: Carefully cross over the road to N 53 54.733 W 1 44.510 where you will be standing outside the Post Office Yard. On the wall you will see an old post box which is still in use. Its number is LS29 8G7D where G is the value required.
Step 3: Head up Main Road the short distance to N 53 54.743 W 1 44.536 at the entrance gate to the Malt Shovel. Looking above the main door, you will note that the golden wall decoration depicts H sacks of barley and a wooden malt shovel.
Step 4: Continue a few metres to N 53 54.756 W 1 44.610 you will find an old mile marker post for Skipton & Otley Road on which you will see that Skipton is PQ miles away. The total P + Q = J.
Step 5: Cross over the road and head up to N 53 54.814 W 1 44.925 where you will be standing on the pavement outside the Salem United Reformed Church. By the low wall in front of the church is a yellow fire hydrant marker on a short concrete post. The top figure shown on this (indicating the size of the water main in inches) = K
The lower figure shows the distance away in feet. Some modern markers use mm and m(etres) respectively.
Step 6: Finally, carry on up the road and up the entrance drive of the impressive Burley Grange. Head for N 53 54.808 W 1 44.963 the location of an octagonal gazebo which has L memorial benches around the outside.
The cache, a screw-capped, camo-taped plastic pot, is hidden nearby at:
N 53 54.(A+E)(D+1)(B+C-1) W 1 44.(G+H)F(J+K+L-9)
Five historical features were highlighted in the ALC, but there are numerous others in Burley and mostly along Main Street. These are shown in the map below which is taken from an excellent online historical resource produced by the Burley Local History Group.
Those highlighted in the multi-steps above are:
1. Memorial Plaque: this marks the site of a terrible accident that occurred on 15 June 1944 when a covered lorry coming from Ilkley and transporting members of the 6th Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit failed to take the sharp bend at the Malt Shovel Hotel and crashed into the house on the corner - 26 Main Street. An eye-witness described the scene as being 'like a plane crash'. Only one of the 21 men in the lorry survived.
2. Post Office Yard: the shop and cottages next to the church were previously known as Hell’s Mouth and Elm Tree Place. In the past the shop has been a druggist, a greengrocers, a cobblers and antique shop. The 1851 census shows the shop as the village Post Office. The name Post Office Yard was adopted by locals because, by the next census in 1861, it was used in the enumerator's return and has remained ever since. At the time this was the most densely populated part of the village. Next to the former shop windows, the wooden post was once part of the village stocks. The post box at the site is still in use.
3. Malt Shovel & Pudding Tree: originally a humble 2-storey thatched roof building, the 1865 rail line opening led to an increase in tourists to the area so, to capitalise on this, in 1880 the old buildings were replaced by a Jacobethan Revival 3-storey building boasting, amongst other features, a large coffee room capable of seating 100, and an assembly room.
A 1904 advert highlighted the hotel’s spacious bedrooms, choice wines and spirits, billiards, posting and cigars of the finest brands. In later years, it was a pub and bar, then a restaurant before being developed into housing in 2014.
Next to the building is the site of the Pudding Tree - a great elm tree - where, up to 1787, an annual feast was held. A huge pudding with 30 stones (just over 190kg) of flour and the same weight of fruit was cooked, sold and eaten under the tree. After it showed signs of being dangerously rotten, it was felled on 25 March 1970 and replaced with the current sycamore. The Pudding Tree Garden behind it was created by Burley Community Council in 1994.
4. Old Mile Marker: this is situated on the historic Otley-Ilkley-Skipton route which was well established by medieval times to enable transportation of goods to markets. Although the road itself has necessarily had much alteration, the route continues to testify to past and current - it is used by the X84 bus Ilkley-Leeds bus - thoroughfares through the region. Some historic surfacing can be seen as stone flags and setts relating to the industrial era of the town’s history.
5. Salem Congregational Chapel: this was built in 1840 by the then owner of Burley Grange, John Peele Clapham. He fell out with the elders of the existing local churches so built an independent chapel and adjacent church hall/school room in the grounds of his home. Between the chapel and the hall is a graveyard, with some 600 graves & the Clapham family tomb.
6. Burley Grange (Grade II listed) was built in 1840-1 in Gothic Revival style by John Peele Clapham (formerly of Burley Hall and the founder of the Salem church) as a private residence called 'The Grange'. It was originally surrounded by high walls, a section of which remains between the post box and the St Mary’s Parish Centre on Station Road.
From 1849, it passed into various other hands, the Stansfields, the Emseleys and the Hodsons. In 1905 it was sold for £1,660 to Burley Urban District Council for council offices, the walls were removed and replaced with railings, and the rear leased to a new gentleman's social club (from 1905-1992). In 1923 the Burley District War Memorial was unveiled & dedicated in front of the building. In 1924/25 Burley in Wharfedale Sports Club (including the cricket club) bought a part of Hodson's Park from the trustees of the James Hodson estate.
In 1926 public baths were opened in a building which stood on the present car park. These were not for swimming but for personal cleanliness and laundry. The charge for a 'slipper' bath was 6 pence with males and females allocated separate times in the week. The railings were removed during WWII in the drive to collect iron for munitions. In 1986 ownership passed to Bradford & Ilkley College which used it until 2006. It was sold in 2009, restored and converted for its current use as apartments (upper floor), small independent businesses hub and training centre.
