Craven through the years

10:14am Saturday 26th July 2008

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100 years ago

Skipton Hospital Gala attracted a big influx of visitors to the town. The High Street was a picturesque sight as crowds gathered for the procession. Ladies in nursing garb wended their way among the crowd collecting coppers and the occasional silver coin.

The chairman of Barnoldswick Urban Council said great inconvenience was being experienced by postmen, doctors and others on account of several streets not being named and houses un-numbered. It was decided to place the matter into the hands of the surveyor with instructions to have it resolved without delay.

Bowland Council discussed restricting the speed of motor cars on its roads. Councillors were asked to suggest which roads should be prohibited to motor cars and which should have speed restrictions. It was decided to place notices at the entrances to towns and villages asking motorists to slow down.

50 years ago

A Skipton pilot escaped uninjured from a mid-air altercation. In fact, Lt John Rogers was unaware a collision had taken place until he landed his Gannet on an aircraft carrier off the Israeli coast. "I just thought it was a bump from the slipstream," he told the Herald. However, his aircraft suffered rudder damage and the Sea Venom with which he collided had a split wingtip.

St Stephen's Church in Skipton hosted its first ever ordination service. Former Ermysted's pupil Anthony Burke was ordained priest by the Bishop of Leeds, the Right Rev GP Dwyer. The following day, Father Burke presided at his first holy mass and gave his first solemn benediction.

Twelve members of the Craven Pothole Club were heading for Sligo in Northern Ireland. They were intending to explore the area and were confident of finding new caves.

25 years ago

Visitors were to be greeted by two "Welcome to Skipton" signs - because of a disagreement between councillors. Skipton Town Council had refused to contribute to Craven District Council signs because they failed to recognise its twinning link with Simbach. Instead, the town members decided to do their own thing and erect alternative signs mentioning their German twin town.

Top name golfers descended on Kildwick Hall Hotel. The sportsmen were taking part in the £100,000 Lawrence Batley competition at Bingley and were taking a short break from the golf course. The visitors included England's Nick Faldo, Ireland's Christy O'Connor and Spaniards Juan Angelo and Manuel Callera.

10 years ago

One of Craven's oldest historic buildings was in line for a facelift. The Rural Buildings Preservation Trust was seeking planning permission to restore Hellifield Peel, a grade two listed building with a history dating back more than 500 years. It wanted to create workshops and offices on the ground floor and a five-bedroom dwelling on the first and second floors. There was also a separate application to convert the old granary and stables into five homes and erect two new houses. For some reason, the scheme never went ahead and it was left to architect Francis Shaw and his wife, Karen, to convert the ruin into a luxury family home.

Newly-appointed Barnoldswick town crier Kevin Griffiths created a bit of a stir when he appeared in the town centre wearing nothing more than his underpants and shoes! He was highlighting his desperate need for regalia to go with his new role. As the Herald stated: "Kevin Griffiths has the voice, the personality and even the bell. But he has not got the costume and, in the current climate, it is proving a bit nippy!"

The first sod was cut for a new skate park in Skipton. The facility was costing £48,000 and fundraisers had raised enough to cover the first phase of the work. The project came after a chance remark to Methodist minister David Emison that young skaters had nowhere to practise their skills.