ONE of the great landmarks from Ilkley’s spa town heyday is being uncovered by local heritage enthusiasts.

Ilkley Civic Society led history lovers on a walk in search of Ben Rhydding Hydro earlier this month, and now the society is appealing for help to trace some of the latter days of the once-prestigious hydropathic establishment.

In a year which has seen celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s links with Ilkley, another hydropathic centre, Wells House, on Wells Road, has drawn much of the attention.

Wells House was where Darwin received hydropathic treatment for his mystery ailment in 1859, when his controversial work, On the Origin of Species, was published.

Now Ilkley Civic Society is researching and telling more people about another great hydro of the 19th century.

As a spa town – a reputation that some are still keen to promote to tourists and daytrippers – it was the hydropathic centres that began the transformation of the Ilkley area from small rural communities to the town it is today.

The Ben Rhydding Hydropathic Establishment was opened in 1844, says the society, and had the accolade of being the first purpose-built hydro in the United Kingdom. It could accommodate up to 180 people, and it provided a range of then-innovative hydrotherapy treatments.

The grand building itself, standing on what is now Hydro Close, off Wheatley Grove, was an imposing edifice in Scottish baronial style, says the civic society. It was constructed on a commanding site with extensive views over the beauty of Wharfedale.

So wealthy was the hydro that it paid for the building of Ben Rhydding Railway Station, no doubt to make it easier for the patients, some of them probably society figures, to get to the countryside retreat.

The rest of the sparse community, the village of Wheatley, was barely more than a few farms and cottages.

The hydro was demolished in 1955, but it is hoped that Ilkley and Ben Rhydding residents may remember something of its later days.

Ilkley Civic Society’s walk, on the national Heritage Open Days weekend, went in search of any visible remains of the old hydro’s extensive grounds. However, the society is calling on members of the community to help its historical detective work.

The society said: “Ilkley Civic Society would very much like to hear from anyone in Ilkley who has information about the hydro, especially the period from the end of the war in 1918 until the building’s demolition, during which part of the hotel became used as flats.”

During the Second World War, the hydro building was occupied by the Wool Control Centre, according to the civic society.

The recent Heritage Open Days walk set off from Ben Rhydding Station, proceeding up Wheatley Lane and Wheatley Grove – one of the original driveways into the Hydro grounds, to Hydro Close. The cul-de-sac is built on the site of the main hydro building.

Members of the search party identified the golf course, coach house and Top Lodge associated with Ben Rhydding Hydro, but no trace remained of the original building.

The walk went on to Ben Rhydding Methodist Church, to see an exhibition on the church’s centenary and the history of the hydro.

Anyone who can help shed light on the history of Ben Rhydding Hydro is asked to contact Ilkley Civic Society chairman Helen Kidman on 01943 609154.