Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the metropolitan borough of Bradford. It has a population of 13,828 and lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe in Wharfedale, one of the Yorkshire Dales. It is a prosperous town and has a thriving centre. Many of the buildings in the area are Victorian from a time when Ilkley was promoted as a spa town. Consequently it is aesthetically pleasing and the centre's two main streets, Brook Street and The Grove, are unusually wide and appear purpose-designed to enable visitors to promenade.