100 years ago

It was reported to Skipton Council that in some instances owners of houses were letting them out to their wives or others in order to get an allowance of a 25 per cent reduction in rates. The legality of the custom was questioned, but the reply was that the arrangement was not an evasion of the law.

A petition was presented from a number of residents of Hainsworth Road, Silsden, pointing out the dark condition of the road and in particular the archway under the canal and asking for a street lamp to be kept lit every night. Several members of the council said it was a dark corner and eventually the gas manager was instructed to fix an automatic lamp which would meet the wishes of the petitioners.

A letter was read from County Hall approving the estimates for road metal for the current year. It was stated that the 34 tons more of granite were needed. Motor buses were blamed for the condition of the roads.

50 years ago

Skipton Rural District Council answered its critics. Ever since the war it had been accused of "inactivity, cheese-paring and not spending anything". But its statement of Government loans showed it had spent nearly £1.5 million, including the building of 650 houses and 188 flats. Mr JW Whitham said the statement vindicated the council.

Sooty and his creator Harry Corbett visited Skipton Town Hall at the invitation of the Craven Area Road Safety Committee. But such was their popularity more than 100 children had to be turned away from the packed hall. "Sooty was the bait which was used to lure children into the hall so they could absorb a little road safety propaganda," said the Herald.

Juke boxes attracted trouble-making Teddy Boys, said police chief inspector J Oakes. He was appearing before Skipton Court to oppose the granting of a Sunday music licence at the Coffee Pot Café on the town's Mill Bridge. He also argued that the close proximity of the church added to the undesirability of the proposal. But magistrates decided to grant the licence for a trial period of 12 months.

25 years ago

The Flying Scotsman train celebrated its 60th birthday with a journey through Craven. And the milestone trip, with several high profile passengers, formed the backdrop for Russell Harty's TV show. Mr Harty, who lived in Giggleswick, was the president of the Settle-Carlisle Line Association. Passengers included American actor Ray Milland, who starred in a movie named after the famous train, actor and steam train enthusiast Timothy West and former Yorkshire cricketer Brian Close.

A knife attack turned stag night celebrations into a nightmare for a young Earby bridegroom-to-be. Twenty-year-old Glyn Sedman was stabbed in the neck and slashed across the face in a late night attack in Manchester. The knife just missed his jugular vein. But, despite his injuries, the wedding was going ahead as planned, with Glyn walking down the aisle of Barnoldswick Independent Methodist Church to marry Helen Bateman in a matter of days.

Tribute was paid to the retiring president of Settle Amateur Operatic Society, Mr JM Brassington. He had given 62 years' service but had decided to resign because he disliked "simply being a figurehead". He was unhappy that changes had been made without him being consulted.

10 years ago

Firemen in Skipton were to lose their emergency tender as part of a cost-cutting exercise. The removal of the tender used mostly in road accidents was described as ridiculous by a local fireman. But Stuart Stoney, area operations manager, pointed out the emergency tender equipment would be put on the other rescue units. "I cannot deny we are losing a tender, but we are upgrading our other two appliances," he told the Herald.

Malsis School at Glusburn was to admit girls for the first time in its 78-year history. The £2,500-a-term prep school had been a boys-only domain since it was founded in 1920. But new headmaster John Elder said it would admit girls aged between seven and 13 from September for educational, rather than financial, reasons. "The fact of the matter is we do not believe in single-sex education," he explained.

Students from Craven College took to the streets to protest about the proposed cutbacks in university funding. The change would mean that in future students, or their families, would have to contribute £1,000 a year towards their tuition fees. Previously the cost had been met by the Government.

7:58pm Friday 7th March 2008

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