The erection of St. Margaret's Church, the second Anglican Church in Ilkley, was completed in 1879, although the movement to establish a second church went back a further six years. At that time the Parish Church of All saints’ was felt to be insufficiently large to meet the continued increase in population, and the rapidly growing influx of summer visitors, caused by the repute of Ilkley as a beautiful and healthy watering place.

It was in 1873, that a meeting of Anglican churchmen was convened at the vicarage of All Saints’ to discuss the establishment of a second church. Preliminary steps had been taken with regard to the site, and the Lord of the Manor, Mr. Middleton, offered the site on which the church now stands. At a second meeting in that year it was decided that the church should be a district church, with the patronage vested in trustees. Later, Mr. R. Norman Shaw A.R.A. (later R.A.) of London was selected as the architect.

Richard Norman Shaw was 42 at the time of his appointment. The whole of his working life was spent during the reign of Queen Victoria, a period which saw a huge upsurge in “Revivalism”, which affected all the arts.

In architecture a ‘battle of the styles’ was created with the various factions forming ranks under the ‘Classic’ and ‘Gothic’ schools. Norman Shaw was an exponent of both schools; beginning in his earlier career with buildings (mainly churches) in the Gothic style, but moving later to the classic style for his public building commissions.

There seems little doubt that his fame, created by his earlier works, was instrumental in gaining his commission for St. Margaret's Church, despite the fact that he resided in London, and that it was there that the majority of his work was carried out. One of his most important commissions was his daring design of New Scotland Yard of 1891

Other works of his included extensions to Bradford Town Hall, Harrow Mission Church and Wormwood Scrubs Prison. Norman Shaw was a devotee of William Morris Arts and Crafts movement, and was a man of powerful personality who perhaps influenced contemporary architecture more than any other single architect of his time.

Norman Shaw’s appointment as architect was confirmed at the end of 1873 following the formal transfer of the site to the Church Commissioners.

He was instructed to draw up plans for a church to hold 600 and it was suggested to him ‘That transepts, intercepting from part of the congregation a full view of the chancel are not desirable. That stress is to be laid on massiveness and grace of proportion rather than minuteness of decoration’. It was decided to name the church St. Margaret's as a compliment to Miss Margaret Snowden, daughter of the Vicar of Ilkley.

The need for further accommodation was so urgent that in 1874 a temporary church, christened - ‘The Tin Church’ - was erected on the site. When the new church was completed, the temporary building was sold to the Wesleyans and was used by them as their church in Ben Rhydding.

In June 1874 the patrons appointed The Revd. William Danks as Vicar Designate of the new church. he was a graduate of Queen’s College, Oxford, and previously had been Vicar of Rainhill in Lancashire. The Revd. William Danks was in his thirties when he took up his appointment and soon made himself a reputation as the young man at “the Church on the Moor” who preached strange doctrines.

A vivid account of William Danks was given many years ago by by the Revd. W. H. Shaw which reads:-

“ In 1877 I came to Ilkley and used to listen every Sunday, in a temporary church on the hillside, to the young incumbent of St. Margaret's Church with his strange unforgettable voice, his stern note against conventional Christianity, his quotations from John Stuart Mill, and Huxley and Ruskin and all the heretics: his strong undercurrent of tender religiousness and Christian worship. His doctrines, shocking then, almost orthodox now, scared old women out of their wits. They gave new life and inspiration to us younger folk.”

The first service in the temporary church was in August 1874 where the congregation was surprised see a surpliced choir. Apparently the surplices were surreptitiously obtained without the knowledge of the Committee, and whereas they would also have liked cassocks, they dare not go so far. This led to trouble, and some of the congregation were up in arms, and cries of ‘No Popery’ were heard. Bitter controversy ensued, but with the passage of time this became muted.

Although opposition to the church had died down, it still smouldered and some of the objectors cast doubts that the church would ever be built on the site Some said it would be hidden by the moor and others said it would slip down the hill. The objectors were clearly unaware of the skills of Norman Shaw as his design for the church secured his admission to the Royal Academy. St. Margaret’s was always his favourite child and his interest in it continued up to his death in 1912.

Work began on the present St. Margaret's Church building towards the end of 1877. The foundation stone was laid by the Earl of Wharncliffe on 1st May 1878 and was incorporated into the base of the first pillar to the north-west aisle facing the north door.

The original plan for a spire was abandoned because of the great weight it would have put on the hillside foundations (although his original design, including the tower, was eventually built as another of the best examples of his work, All Saints’ Church at Leek in Staffordshire).

For the same reason, the whole building as it stands today was built in one operation and not in sections. It had initially been intended to construct the nave as a first operation by bricking up the chancel arch, and to build the chancel later when funds permitted. However, the builder advised that he did not think the chancel arch would stand alone. This nearly brought about a deadlock, as this would nearly double the cost.

Eventually satisfactory arrangements were agreed with the bank and suitable guarantors found.

In July 1879, one of the major subscribers considered that the two pillars at the chancel end of the nave were falling, having reported that he himself had tested them and found them to be moving daily The Clerk of Works disagreed and reassured the Committee and the architect that they were not moving, and that the inclination that had been noted - just over half an inch out of plumb - had taken place the previous year. Norman Shaw was consulted, and as a precaution, tie-rods were inserted into each pillar, spanning arch to arch, but after three years these tie-rods were removed.

The problems associated with the building so affected the health of the Vicar, the Revd. William Danks, that he was forced to resign in June 1879, just three months before the dedication service which took place on 10th September, and which was conducted by Bishop Bickersteth, the Bishop of Ripon. The Bishop’s nephew, the Revd. Henry Bickersteth Ottley, became the first Vicar of St. Margaret's Church. The total costs of the project had to be paid off by 1st March 1886. Money was raised in every possible way and the debt was finally settled.

Happily, the Revd. William Danks recovered and was able to return to the living in 1884 Subsequently he became Arch deacon of Ripon in 1894, and Canon of Canterbury Cathedral twelve years later. There is a tablet to his ministry in the north wall of the church.

From a compilation by Paul Kershaw who made referenceto a series of articles by Mr. J. F. Hewitt published in the Ilkley Gazette in 1929.