A piece of rock memorabilia from Jimi Hendrix's legendary appearance in the town has been auctioned for £625.

A paper flyer advertising the rock star's gig at the ballroom of the former Troutbeck Hotel on March 12, 1967 has been sold over the internet by an American dealer.

The performance was memorable for the fact that Hendrix was stopped as he started his second song because the Gyro Club venue was overcrowded.

The police cancelled the event causing rioting in the town by the 700 angry rockers demanding their money back.

Addingham resident Ian Taylor deals in collectable paper ephemera on the internet and is also researching a project on Hendrix in the UK centred on the Ilkley show.

He had been monitoring the auction with a view to purchasing the item.

"I am not really surprised that it fetched such a high price," he said.

"The American collector's market is notable for the high prices paid and with Hendrix memorabilia in such short supply this was obviously a much sought after item".

It is not known how many flyers were printed for the show but it is believed to be the first time one has been auctioned in this way.

Mr Taylor is interested in speaking to anyone who was present at the Troutbeck on the evening of the Hendrix show or who has memorabilia related to any Hendrix's UK shows.

"It just shows that Ilkley residents may be sitting on a goldmine - if anyone has any souvenirs of that night that they want valued then I'd love to hear from them," he added.

He can be contacted on 01943 839232 or by e-mail at ian@taylorian.freeserve.co.uk.

The Ilkley show became notorious when it was cancelled by the police for having three times the number of people allowed by the fire regulations. When the tour was arranged Hendrix was virtually unknown outside the United States, but the band's first single Hey Joe became a big hit by the time they came to Britain.

Many of the venues, including Ilkley, were too small to cope with the huge numbers of people who flocked to see them.

Famed for playing the guitar with his back and plucking the strings with his teeth, Hendrix's gig was over before it had begun in Ilkley.

Having just started the second song a police sergeant climbed on stage and stopped the performance.

Addressing the adults as 'boys and girls', some fans claimed there was bound to be trouble.

Fans received a five shilling refund, despite paying ten shillings for their tickets.

The national papers claimed glasses were smashed, a door was ripped off and pictures were torn from the walls.

But a spokesman for the Troutbeck Hotel claimed that the damage was greatly exaggerated and described the fans as 'quiet and orderly'.

It was thought the door was knocked off by pressure and the pictures fell off the walls accidentally and were trampled on by people who could not see them.

The police had initially been called to the venue by residents because cars were blocking roads and had been parked on private drives and they had gone to find the vehicle's owners. It took two hours to clear the hall.