Craven through the years

9:24am Saturday 2nd August 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

100 years ago

Heavy rain experienced in the early part of the nesting season wrought havoc on the grouse breeding preserves in Long Preston, but second hatchings turned out better than expected. This indicated that many birds would be late and it could be the beginning of September before genuinely good sport could be had.

Calls were made for a public tip at Airton. Ashes and refuse had been tipped in gardens and during the past year a piece of waste land at the junction of the Otterburn and Bell Busk roads had been converted into a tip for rubbish, which was unsightly and inconvenient for the public.

The second annual gala of the Co-operative Society at Bentham was held but, owing to the unfavourable weather, it was decided not to have a field day. The Low Bentham contingent went to the public hall where games and dancing took place, the brass band also being in attendance.

50 years ago

While a supper party was in progress at the Cross Keys in East Marton, a man entered the kitchen. He told the cook to be quiet and said that he wanted something to eat. After eating some chicken and having a drink of milk, he ran away. Skipton police were called and were anxious to trace the man.

Edith Sharp, of Steeton, had a pleasant surprise when the Steeton policeman, Gordon Thrush, called on her. He told her he had her friend, Mrs Scambler, on the telephone line from Canada. Mrs Sharp and Mrs Scambler had been neighbours in Seedhill Terrace before Mrs Scambler emigrated to Canada 47 years earlier. The call was paid for by Mrs Scambler's son for her 85th birthday.

Where were the missing weavers of Barnoldswick? That was the question being asked by the Barnoldswick, Earby and Salterforth Joint Industrial Committee. In an attempt to find the answer, the committee decided to place an advertisement in all local papers appealing for workers, especially women, who were willing to undertake employment to get in touch. It was hoped the initiative would fill the gap left by a drop of about 1,000 workers compared to seven years earlier.

25 years ago

Beamsley's Boyle and Petyt School was one of the first of many primary schools in the Craven area to have its very own micro computer. Before term end, the school's 30 pupils had their first chance to experiment with the computer.

It cost Airedale Social Club just two glasses of beer to have leading entertainer Mike Harding give a one-man show from their stage. The only payment Mike would accept for his two-hour show was a drink from the bar, because he knew the evening was for a good cause - to raise money for children at the Ghyll Hostel in Skipton.

Parents from Kelbrook School travelled to Preston in a bid to stop the sale of the school playing field. They lobbied county councillors and handed over a petition signed by almost every villager. The campaigners feared part of the field would be sold off after an approach was made by a local business wanting to expand.

10 years ago

Cononley man Bill Norton raised a massive £12,500 after completing a gruelling 867 mile bike ride at the age of 69. Energetic Bill, nicknamed "man of steel" cycled from Land's End to John O'Groats in aid of the BBC's Children in Need Appeal.

The creation of an ambitious 126-acre Rural Environmental Centre at Hellifield took another step towards becoming a reality. Craven District Council's planning committee approved outline plans for the venture, which would be based on the theme of sheep and wool production and proposed to "provide and promote agri-tourism of excellence."

Some residents were still upset by the introduction of wheelie bins across the district. One claimed he had suffered cuts and grazes as he tried to get his bin to his front gate to be emptied. One of the reasons given for the introduction was that bins reduced the risk of injury to workers. But the aggrieved resident claimed: "The council is quite willing for residents to put themselves at risk."