Once more into the breech, my blue plaque hunt continues....


The theatre is located in Ilkley town centre within a conservation area and overlooks the River Wharfe. It is built traditionally in Yorkshire stone. The original building was designed by Thomas Clarke and it opened in 1876 as a Working Men's Club and Lecture Hall. After 17 years it was sold to the Liberal Association.

In the summer of 1938, the Liberal Association hired out their upstairs furniture store to a local amateur theatre group, formed in 1928 - The Ilkley Players. The Players employed a local builder to build a stage and dressing rooms and a public performance licence was applied for. The newly completed Playhouse opened in September 1938. In the spring of 1939, the theatre closed and in July the building was placed at the disposal of the Women's Voluntary Service. The following year The Players moved back in and continued to perform plays throughout the war years.

More history can be read at
http://www.ilkleyplayhouse.co.uk/page.php?id=28