100 Years Ago

KETTLEWELL had a new water supply but the locals complained that it was "harder" than their old supply. A report to the council said that the old supply was liable to pollution and not suitable for drinking. Several new houses in the village had been connected to the new supply but were not being charged. The new supply was pure spring water and while harder, it was in every way preferable to the old, which was taken from a running stream and subject to contamination by all sorts of organic matter.

A steady rise in the fortunes of Barnoldswick as a centre for commerce and industry was noted. The population had risen from 3,187 in the 1871 census to 7,400 in the 1901 census. However, the Herald noted that the paving of the streets had come to a standstill. It quoted the medical officer, a Dr Alderton, who said that many streets in Barnoldswick, both back and front, were a standing disgrace to the town and breeders of filth and disease.

There was a fire at the Embsay Vicarage when a beam close to the chimney hearth caught fire. A large crowd gathered at the canal basin to see the Skipton brigade answer the call but the fire was put out by several Embsay men before the brigade could arrive.

Still in Embsay the famous author Halliwell Sutcliffe, who lived at Manor House, was the proud father of a new born son.

50 Years Ago

JAMES Gregson, the well known playwright, was appointed president of the Skipton Labour Party. He lived in Linton and broke off from filming the 'Yorkshire comedy' Value for Money at Pinewood Studios to attend the annual meeting.

Three bell ringers at Skipton Parish Church had 184 years of service between them. Two had rung the bells to mark Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. Mr F Metcalfe had rung the church bells for 64 years and nine months, Mr W Bailey for 64 while Mr J Garlick was a relative new boy - he had only rung the bells for 55 years.

A police decision to cut the parade at the previous year's gala had cost about £40 in lost donations said the gala committee. Cutting out Cavendish Street and Swadford Street meant crowds elsewhere had been five or six deep and collectors could not get to them.

25 Years Ago

THE Duke of Devonshire opened the new Bolton Abbey Village Hall. It cost £64,000, raised by the local community and chairman of the fund raising committee Stanley Boothman said that while the cost had risen dramatically over the years, he was glad that the committee had stuck to its original plans, rather than making the hall smaller.

Earby's bonfire celebrations faced the axe after the town council was handed a bill for £320. Pendle's engineers' department had charged them £4 an hour for labour to set up the bonfire and clear it away.

10 Years Ago

NATIONAL Park chairman Robert Heseltine used his casting vote to allow quarrying at Tilcon's Swinden Quarry, near Cracoe, to continue until 2020. After a tied vote the spotlight turned to Mr Heseltine in the chair, who cast his vote in favour of allowing deeper quarrying. The decision split the community with letters of support and objection almost equally divided. Embsay, Cracoe and Linton Parish Councils had objected - Threshfield had supported the move, as had local national park members Shelagh Marshall and Beth Graham.

A fire at the Craven Heifer in Skipton closed the pub but it could have been much worse. The fire in the early hours of the morning knocked out the telephone system but landlord Paul Mills flagged down a passing taxi driver, who used his radio to alert the fire brigade. Their prompt arrival saved more damage.

Hot air balloonist David McCutcheon had one of his balloons pinched. With all the paraphernalia it was worth £20,000 and had been left overnight in a field between Gargrave and Coniston Cold.

A fashion show was being put on by two mums who had good reason to thank Airdale Hospital's special baby care unit. Jonathan Morgan and Gemma Gray weighed 1lb 10oz and 1lb 13oz when they were born four months early and the fund-raiser was the mothers' way of saying thank you.