The new Kirkgate accountancy office that amazingly once combined a hat shop and butcher's

Opening a new accountancy office (pictured below) in Kirkgate last May, Peter Marshall was amazed to discover that he is distantly related to the family who were in business at the same premises nearly 120 years ago. The photograph above, supplied by Peter, shows the early 1900s when William Jackson ran a butcher's shop at No. 70 while his daughter Mary Elizabeth opened a milliner's at No. 72. Mary, who married a Wainman, is pictured on the left on the steps with her sister-in-law Florence Shenton. The little boy is Florence's son, Harold, who was born in 1902. The Jacksons and Wainmans, whose descendants include Silsden's famous Wainman stock-car racing champions, lived above their respective shops. 

Peter Marshall's connection comes through his late father, Peter, whose cousin, Janet Whitelock, was a great granddaughter of William Jackson the butcher.
Peter and his business partner, Rebekah Krysko, are pictured above at their office at 70-72 Kirkgate. They were friends at primary school in Keighley and worked together for an Ilkley practice before setting up their own accountancy services, initially working from Peter's home and then becoming a prominent presence in Kirkgate. Their number of clients has grown far faster than Peter and Rebekah expected, and by March Marshall Krysko will be a four-person operation.

This photograph from the early 1900s shows the stretch soon after the ground floors of the houses were converted to shops.

A 1950s view. From left to right are Marion's, tobacconist and toys; chemist Herbert J. Clark; Waterhouses's ironmongery; Ernest Todd's gardening supplies; Nancy Lund's ladies' outfitters; and the Post Office, which occupied this site from 1907 to 2017 and is now at Twigg's the newsagents.

The scene in the 1960s, when No. 70-72 (which had become single premises) was the Leek and Westbourne Building Society office. Prior to Marshall Krysco moving in, the premises had housed estate agents Dale Edison and at one time before that the Britannia Building Society.

Kirkgate today from Rowlands pharmacy to the Old Post Office cafe and bar, which opened after the traditional Post Office relocated to Twigg's on the other side of Kirkgate.

Change of name and owner at upmarket barber's shop

Manetain is the new name of the barber's shop at No 27 Kirkgate, which previously was Dexter's. Mikey Whitaker, pictured above, has bought the business from Josh Matthew, who opened Dexter's in July 2015 and quickly showed there was a local demand for upmarket male grooming. At work on the left is Mikey's fellow barber Joe Sorge.

Mikey, from Bingley, worked for Josh before acquiring the business in September, 2019. The following month he changed the frontage colours from red to a distinctive blue and gave the business an eye-catching new name and lion logo. Mikey trained at Craven College and has been a hairdresser/barber for six years.

Stakes Beck in spate the focus for snapshots and selfies  

The effects of Storm Dennis on the weekend of February 15th and 16th and Storm Ciara the weekend before brought out the cameras, particularly at Stakes Beck by the Old Post Office. Sandbags were deployed at the ramp in front of the cottages.

The beck was in predictable spate. 

The Aire Valley at Silsden suffered as the storms caused flooding and other damage nationwide.  

Taking Valentine's Day to heart

The Curve hair, beauty, tanning and nails salon in St John's Street took Valentine's Day to heart with an eye-catching window display.

Pink balloons were a main feature of the romantic depictions, which were designed and installed by customer Samantha Green, who has brought her Making Memories Facebook business to Silsden. At work in the above photograph is Alix Driver, one of five self-employed hair and beauty experts at the salon. 

The Valentine's Day sparkle was a welcome respite for The Curve owner, Claire Appleton, pictured above, who the previous weekend had to contend with Storm Ciara, which  flooded the salon's beck-side cellar. Claire has been running her own business for nine of her 15 years as a hairdresser. She opened The Curve five years ago last June. 

A Valentine's Day treat arrived at the salon for nail technician Charlotte Harrison, sent by her boyfiend. After leaving South Craven School, Charlotte worked for Claire for five years before starting her own business, Nails, Lashes and Brows by Charlotte.