Ilkley, the white cat and mydleton lodge

Ilkley in the autumn sun on a Friday. We had much debate as to where to go today. I googled Ilkley, we have been here many many times but I wanted to find somewhere new. So I looked up Darwin gardens on Wells road. This was the plan after the junk shops. We never got to it....as we parked the car too far away and the walk was a lot longer than I thought. so that can be another visit now.......

for an unusual morning I did not wake up until 8am. Lee had been up since 5am. Not sleeping again he is. The break from his medication is taking a while to kick in. The professor he sees for his condition thought his depression was caused by lack of sleep which was caused by his meds......So now in week two he is not sleeping . however he is not depressed now.......

So to Ilkey we went in the Fonz car with Monza sitting up in the back. Lee has taken all the seats out of the back of the car so Monza has the whole space for his huge body to stretch out in. Also he has a better view than we do!

Past the Cow and Calf rocks........

Slowly into Ilkley, this is because there are road works and one road in and one out.....in short this is the only road. which gave me the chance to take these photos!!!

Ilkley has many old world shops and charity shops.......little cafes and of course Betty's tea rooms. I would love to visit and have a coffee and fat rascal. Having said that Lee just pointed out to me that for about a minisule part of the money we would spend we could go to Wetherspoons....get a refillable coffee and cake....

This is the plan then when I get my pension money through. Which is finally iminant as all the papers have been signed.........fun being 56 at last.It gives me the option now of accessing my pension and taking a lump sum of money. The advice is "dont do it!!" so of course I am.

This cafe I was to check out too......but I wanted to get to the junk shops first.Love the pink scooter......

This church I went into a few weeks ago....all modern now!!!!

Plenty of buskers about today....

I took this guys photo. I actually gave him some money. If I could I would myself. Trouble is I can not sing. Lee plays the guitar.........Could be a thought. Lee just pulled a face.I think that one means ...NO.....

We did the junk shops at the Grove and then set off to Darwin gardens which I thought were near. They were not. Ilkley has a few gardens in the centre.This is one of them......

and the Memorial gardens are just near too

This avenue of tree leads back to the Grove, which I think is the "posh" part of Ilkley. All of Ilkley is posh I should point out...this part is the most picturesque.
By now I had found various dolls that I did not buy. I am trying to refine my junk. Just old junk now. I found loads of modern Barbie dolls and a Disney animator of Anna from Frozen. Usually I would I have nought them all even though I already have them in the hundreds.
This day all I bought was a bag of doll clothes...turning down a dolls house in bits, some furniture and some fairies too.

Next we headed towards the church and to say hello to the white cat. Sure enough as we approached under the old archway the cat started to walk towards us. White cat does not wear a collar and always sits at my feet. Lee always tickles its ears....then white cat begins to wag tail........tail wag in a cat bad. tail wag in a dog good. I do not tickle this cat...do not trust tail wagging white cats......
The Manor house from the park side......this is where the white cat lives.

We overlooked the park and Mydleton lodge high up in the woods over looking all of Ilkley.

Mydleton lodge. This place has recently been restored. I know this as when we still had the van we moved a customer into one of the basement flats and I got the chance to take some photos inside and have a look around parts of it.....
Mydleton lodge was used as a hunting lodge ....
Sir Peter De Middleton (1290-1335) was a prominent knight from Ilkley and his effigy is in Ilkley church in a side chapel all on his own. I did not have time to visit him today...though he is a favourite effigy of mine. I usually go to see him after the White cat. Today we had Monza waiting in the car and I had not been to Boyes Haberdashery yet....time had run on a lot....anyway Sir Peter  is six hundred and fifty years old...or there abouts and I am sure he would not miss me this once.

Mydleton Lodge is high up in the woods and commands the whole of Ilkley as it's vista. The land that is now Ilkley as we know it was acquired by the Middleton family of Mydleton Lodge from about a century after they came with William the Conquerer. They lost possession of it through land sales and mortgages repossessions in the 19th century due to one very naughty members gambling debts.
William Middleton (1815-1885) was responsible for the design of the new town of Ilkley which replaced a village which was there before.

In the 17th and 18th centuries the town gained its reputation as a spa town due to healing waters.the Middleton family constructed and maintained white wells , which is an early spa building containing dressing rooms and a bath fed from the spring. The middletons encouraged visitors by permitting shooting on their lands and fishing in the river....kind of early tourism.
the manor house. This is sadly not open to the public at the moment.It was up to very recently a museum and art gallery. now it is permanently closed. I made do with taking some photos. This is the oldest building in Ilkley and is just next to my fave church too.

so we climbed the steps to the side of the church . walked past the stones and the church entrance......

I had Boyes haberdashery to visit.

I did not go inside the church today. Boyes needed my attentions as I need knitting wool. I have bags of scraps in all colours and textures but none that was white a fluffy.
We eventually bought lunch and headed home eating sandwiches and chocolate eclairs. I do not have to be to work until 5pm so I have time to wash yesterdays dolls that I aquired. there are four "my scene" dolls complete with outfits and shoes to be washed.