Heritage
All Saints Church holds an important place in the history of Ilkley and has a unique story to tell that began nearly 1400 years ago.
It is the perfect place to discover something new, whatever your age. We hope that all visitors to Ilkley in the future will come to visit the Church, the oldest building in the town. Our usual opening times are here but if you are making a special trip, please contact us first to check that church will be open.
We are proud custodians of the rich heritage visible in the fabric of this building, and as lived through the lives of the people who worshipped here through the centuries. The award of a Heritage Lottery Grant in 2018, part of the wider church development project, has seen the introduction of new information boards and multimedia displays that tell the story of the church and the important part it has played in the development of Ilkley from the time of the Romans to the present day. We also have information leaflets / maps available from our welcome desk, which will help you explore some interesting features of the church - please help yourself to one!
We invite you to come and visit our beautiful church. We are here to enable children, young people, families and the local community to enjoy, explore and learn from the rich and special heritage that our church offers.
School visits
With a wealth of historical resources, All Saints Church is a wonderful place to deliver many aspects of the curriculum and help learning to come alive in a practical and local context. Projects can be based on Art, Craft, History, Geography, Sociology, English, Costume, Maths, Music, Religious Education, Archaeology, Science, Architecture and Heritage Conservation – to name a few! Our recent development project has created a versatile performance space with modern facilities.
Our Heritage Manager, Carry, works on a voluntary basis and is happy to help schools and teachers to plan and organise their visit to the church. Carry is a retired local primary school headteacher where she has worked with all ages from pre-school through to adult learners. She has a BA (Hons) in the History and Archaeology of the Middle Ages and a particular interest in early Christian Britain and Ireland.
We are also able to provide set activities and resources at key times of the year. We are here to facilitate a rich variety of learning opportunities for schools and other groups that may want to use the church as a learning resource. We can also provide teachers with everything they need for self-led, informal visits. See our resources section below for a sample of our available resources.
If you are interested, please contact Carry who will be able to provide further information and help you plan your school visit.
Other organised visits to the Church
Guided tours and visits can be arranged. All Saints Church welcomes visits from schools, colleges and other groups and is keen to support any group that wishes to use the Church as a learning resource. please contact Carry to arrange your visit.
Accessibility: Disabled access is possible to most areas of our building and there are disabled toilet facilities.
Educational resources
Included below is a selection of our educational resources to support visits to the church and the Ilkley Heritage Area. Please have a browse through the following folders and download or print anything that you might find helpful. Please do get in touch if you are looking for something else as we have lots of other resources available.
Visiting a church - general resources
Using All Saints to enhance history topics
Castle Hill (Ilkley Heritage Area) resources
National Lottery Heritage Fund and Church Development Project
From 2016 to 2022, the National Lottery Heritage Fund (previously HLF) gave support to elements of the capital redevelopment works in our buildings and to an extensive heritage activity programme reaching out to the community. The full details and evaluation of the project are contained in the report that can be found here.
