Wharfedale and Airedale were brought to a standstill on Tuesday morning as the district paid tribute to the Queen Mother.

Town centre stores closed and many businesses held two minutes of silence at 11.30am to honour her death.

Woolworths, the Little Chef restaurant, Greggs and WH Smith were just some of the high street names observing the two minute silence in Ilkley.

Some businesses, including Tesco, Kwik Save, Booths, Thorntons and Peter Jones, were closed during the funeral.

The Grove and Brook Street were deserted as people stayed indoors to watch the ceremony on television.

Trains and buses halted at the station until the minutes of silence had passed, with commuters waiting patiently with their heads bowed low.

The familiar sound of chinking coffee cups could not be heard as visitors to the Christchurch caf joined mourners across the country in honouring the Queen Mother.

Manager of Booths supermarket Pete Holroyd said: "We closed between 10am to 2pm, our staff had the option to stay and use our facilities or go home and watch the funeral.

"We held a two minute silence in the store for those that stayed."

The Tesco store in Ilkley has opened a book of condolence in tribute to the Queen Mother for its customers to sign.

Manager of Tesco's, Springs Lane, Helen Nicholson said: "We have had a lot of interest in the book of condolence from all age groups. A lot of school children have signed it along with their parents.

"Once we close the book it will be sent away to our head office, where it will be included in a complete book of condolences from across the country. We put it out last Friday.

"We closed the store from 10.30am to 1pm on Tuesday and held a minute's silence in the store with the staff that stayed to watch the funeral."

Harewood House, Leeds, which is owned by the Queen Mother's cousin, closed its doors until 2pm on Tuesday.

A hush also fell over Otley town centre on an otherwise busy market day on Tuesday, as shops closed, and shoppers stayed at home. All over the town, shops - both large and small - closed between 11.30am and 1pm, with others closing as early as 10am. In the shops which stayed open, many staff observed a two-minute silence starting at 11.30am.

Regular visitors to Otley Market, Geoffrey and Margaret Fawdington, of Leeds, said it was a good thing to see so many businesses in the town observing a silence.

"She was a very, very good person, very good for the country. She was a wonderful woman, and it's a great loss for the country," said Mr Fawdington.

Otley Market stallholder Mohammed Parvez said the atmosphere in the town was very quiet, but not as many people had observed the two minutes silence as they had in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales.

"It's a bit sad really. She was so old, and she did a lot during the war. But when I went to Princess Diana's funeral in London, everything stopped everywhere, even on the roads," he said. As the official two minutes silence began some of the shoppers who remained on the streets of Otley sat at the Buttercross to reflect in silence on the life of the much-loved 101-year-old royal.

Otley resident Brian Offer said he believed many people in the town had opted to stay in and watch the funeral on television.

He said: "I think it's a good thing to see people paying tribute. I admire all the royals, actually. I think she served the country well, and we'll see some changes now. "

However, some residents did not agree with closing the shops. Others said they would have preferred to have had one official day of tributes to the Queen Mother, rather than having television programmes spread throughout the week.

One woman said it was an inconvenience to many of the older people, who do not get into the town centre very often, as few had known in advance that the shops would be closed.

Another Otley resident said he thought holding a two-minute silence was a fitting tribute, but thought closing the shops was excessive.

He said: "I think it's just people wanting to get the day off. She had a good life, and everything just has to go on," he said.

The half empty car park at Guiseley Morrisons seemed to reflect the mood of the country. Outside the doors a simple sign read: 'Her Majesty the Queen Mother 1900-2002. As a mark of respect this store will be closed on Tuesday 9th April at 10.30am and will reopen at 12.30pm'.

It was the same story all along the main street. Shops with nothing in common were united in their respect - bookies, estate agents, opticians, butchers, newsagents.

Even those which chose to remain open honoured a two-minute silence and asked their customers to do the same. Not everyone was pleased about the shops shutting.

One elderly woman said: "I don't think they should shut - it's inconvenient to the public and they've made enough fuss about her already."

On the whole though the moment passed with the quiet reverence and respect that has always been associated with the most remarkable of royals. A lady who became an icon of Great Britain through her service.