[3] The Winter Garden, which being a later addition does not form part of the symmetrical layout, is attached to the right-hand side in a similar style.

In July 1896, John Thomas Jackson, a local businessman and councillor, bought the estate at auction for £7,800, and sold part of it on to Ilkley UDC in March 1897 for £6270.

The Council finally decided to move forward with building on the site in 1902, now with Cllr Jackson as its chair, after learning of the possibility of a generous donation from Andrew Carnegie, a philanthropist who endowed 660 libraries in Britain.

[8] Further funding was found to be required to purchase additional land to the rear to make space for a stage in the King's Hall, and construction was also delayed when an accident occurred in January 1907; a cornice stone was being hoisted into position when it fell through the scaffolding, which collapsed.

[7] As soon as 5 October 1907, the library was opened, though the building was incomplete, by Robert Collyer, a well-known Unitarian clergyman, when he was visiting England from America to receive a doctorate from the University of Leeds.

[8] At this celebration, the members of the Council gave speeches and walked down The Grove in procession from their former rented premises to the new building,[10] which was illuminated in the evening by flashing electric lights.

[5] Celebrations relating to the openings included a half-day paid holiday for local residents and a free performance for ratepayers of The Belle of Mayfair.

An Ilkley Town Council was re-established for the parish, which now uses the meeting room, retaining its original furniture, oak panelling and central lantern light.

[8] Subsequent to opening, the King's Hall was the location of various rallies, including ones addressed by Suffragette Adela Pankhurst, William Booth of The Salvation Army, and Robert Baden-Powell.

[13][14] A local cultural charity group named the Friends of the King's Hall and Winter Garden was set up in 2000 due to anxieties about neglect of the buildings' condition.

It co-operates closely with the officers of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, and raises money to fund restorations and refurbishments.