Anyone who has visited Ilkley and glanced up at the moor can’t fail to have noticed White Wells. The clue is in the name! Its whitewashed walls stand out clearly against the earthy browns, golds, greys and greens of the surrounding moorland. It’s easy to visit, even for people with reduced mobility, as there is a decent track for the quarter mile or so up to it with a car park at the bottom. It is currently tenanted (it belongs to Bradford Council) and if the flag is flying, the little cafe is open and you can get a brew there.
Although the springs which supply this Georgian bath house are thought to have been used since antiquity (The Northern Antiquarian’s website, https://megalithix.wordpress.com/2008/09/12/white-wells-ilkley/, states this, and also that the springs originally emerged higher up the hill) the house itself is relatively modern. The original structure is thought to date from around 1690, but what we see today is the version enlarged and improved by William Middleton, the local squire, arounf 1780. The Roman style plunge pool can be seen today and occasionally, (usually New Year’s Day and Yorkshire Day , August 1st) the public can take the plunge! Be warned though, the water is always chilly as it comes out of the earth at a constant temperature (variously said to be between 4.5 and 7 degrees Celsius!). Our sons gave it a go on Yorkshire Day back in 2004… they were canny enough to not dunk completely!
Despite all the claims made for the healing properties of Ilkley’s water, on which much of the town’s prosperity is built, an analysis in the 1970s showed that it is basically just – clean, uncontaminated water! Perhaps that in itself is healing. It had therefore to be promoted as soft and pure rather than rich in minerals. If you fancy trying it, there is still a spring at the rear of the house where you can do so (see the photo below.)
