Wednesday 22nd April was Earth Day. I took part in a full day of off-timetable environmental activities for 300+ Year 8 students at Ilkley Grammar School.
Ilkley Grammar School sits on the very edge of Ilkley Moor, and my contribution was to consider with the students how closely the history of Ilkley is connected with the moorland water, and the role that storytelling and art can play in engaging with issues around climate and the environment.
Over the course of the day we took three groups of students on walks to follow the journey of water as it starts as tiny springs and streams on Ilkley Moor, tumbles down the hill, under the road, past or through the fountain and into the River Wharfe.
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From looking at its beginnings as small springs, we stopped by the paddling pool (middle, above), one of several water features made by the Victorians in Ilkley, and saw how the stream flows in and then out again at the other end.
We also saw the spring which comes down from White Wells (right, above) and talked about the hydros and how, like Charles Darwin, many people came to Ilkley to 'take the water' due to its health-giving properties.
We stopped below Darwin Gardens to see the confluence of the stream from the paddling pool with the stream from White Wells as they disappear under Wells Road. The meeting of these two streams forms the beginning of Mill Ghyll which flows through the centre of Ilkley.
We stopped where Mill Ghyll starts and the water flows out from underneath the road again (left, above) and talked about how the Victorians had shaped the walkway, and their love of water and water features. We considered the moss on Ilkley Moor which acts like a sponge, releasing the water slowly so that the streams, ghylls, pool and tarn don't flood.
I explained how some of the water is diverted to run down a small pipe, with the pressure building as it goes. When it reaches the fountain, its way is blocked by the nozzle except for a few tiny holes, which means the water sprays high into the air. I briefly mentioned how the ancient engineering of working with gravity has meant that water has reached dry and arid parts of the world to sustain communities.
We looked out over Brook Street, where the water from the pool around the fountain rejoins the ghyll, now underground, on its way to the river. We talked about the engineering required to get the precise balance of water running into and through the fountain, with the water draining out of the basin.
The water emerges once again from under the road at the riverside (above, right) and joins the flow of the Wharfe towards the sea.
I shared some of the aims around the design for the Ilkley Fountain, and the hope that by playing with scale and proportion, it becomes part of how we engage with our role and responsibilities in caring for the local moorland.
For more info on the IGS Earth Day, please see the Ilkley Gazette article.
