The opening of Silsden library at the town hall this week marked a milestone in the building’s history.

The foundation stone of Silsden Town Hall was laid 130 years ago by mill owner, George Jacques, and landowner, Lord Hothfield.

Construction on the £2,000 scheme took ten months, and the Mechanics Institute – as it was then known – opened in October 1884.

The recent refurbishment of the town hall cost more than £300,000, and the library has moved into the building from its former home in nearby Wesley Place.

Silsden Local History Group chairman, David Mason, welcomed the hall’s reopening with a “wonderful new look”.

He said: “It gives continuity to a rich part of our village heritage, while providing exciting new opportunities for present and future generations.”