THE INSTALLATION of a cattle grid on Westwood Drive in Ilkley in 1958 not only helped keep sheep out of the town’s well manicured gardens but also provided a source of local fascination. In the UK, cattle grids first appeared in the 1920s, becoming more common, especially in rural areas, after the 1940s. As an uncommon sight, the Ilkley grid would have attracted much interest. It is believed hat the first recorded use of a cattle grid for non-rail traffic took place in 1881 in Archer County, Texas, on the stagecoach road between Archer City and Henrietta. The modern cattle grid used on roads is said to have been independently invented a number of times on the Great Plains of the United States around 1905 to1915. Before then, a similar device for railways was in use as early as 1836; a stone stile was used in Britain as far back as pre-Roman times.