100 years ago

WINTERBURN smallpox hospital was nearing the end of its life. The Herald reported that the news came with "the force of great surprise" to members of Skipton Rural District Council, who thought the "out-of-the-world" wooden structure would go on forever. It was erected in 1899 to deal with a smallpox outbreak among navvies at Winterburn Reservoir.

There was concern about the small number of votes polled at an election in Silsden. Only 2,815 were recorded out of a possible 8,000 - despite a 60 per cent turnout by the electorate. But many decided not to record their vote at the polling station in protest at the town's affairs being conducted along political and sectarian lines.

Around two inches of snow fell at Chapel-le-Dale, causing problems for farmers with new born lambs. The wind was described as abnormally cold.

50 years ago

SEVEN-year-old Judith Brayshaw, of Earby, was allowed to leave hospital after a miraculous recovery from meningitis. She had been treated at Middleton Hospital, Ilkley, for 20 months, and at times, there was little hope she would get better.

Skipton Prize Brass Band was going through a difficult patch. Membership had dropped to 18, and it finished the year owing £20. However a crisis meeting on its future decided that a body with such a fine tradition could not be allowed to die. Twenty five years on, and Skipton Band is enjoying something of a revival.

Work restarted on building a windbreak shelter on the top of Ingleborough to mark the Coronation. Ingleborough Fell Rescue Team was overseeing the project, which would include a bronze indicator pointing out the various fells.

25 years ago

CANON Maurice Slaughter left Christ Church, Skipton, to become parish priest at Bolton Abbey. He told the Herald that in his 15 years at Skipton he had conducted 2,500 funerals, 400 weddings and 900 baptisms but it was a fair bet that he would be less busy at Bolton Abbey.

Skipton Town Council discussed whether or not to buy robes for the mayor. Coun Mrs J Hollings ridiculed the idea, comparing Skipton to Trumpton. She said it was ludicrous for Skipton's mayor to want fancy red robes at a cost of £200 when the town council was barely four years old and had no major decision making role. The proposal was heavily defeated - although it must have returned at a later date with a more sympathetic hearing.

Nine hundred members of Young Farmers Clubs in the area were out on a spring clean of their locality. Addingham YFC had tackled Beamsley Beacon, removing among other rubbish a saucepan and a dustbin from near the summit; Silsden YFC had cleaned up 500 yards of the town's beck, removing a an entire car exhaust system, window frames and two motor bikes while Horton-in-Ribblesdale YFC collected five big sacks of rubbish from the slopes of a snow-capped Penyghent.

10 years ago

SKIPTON'S Christmas lights were under threat due to a shortage of cash. The chamber of trade needed £6,500 to overhaul them to bring them up to safety standards but Craven District Council refused to offer any financial help for fear of setting a precedent. Robert Heseltine argued in favour of finding at least some of the cash, saying that Skipton was the capital of Craven and it should set an example but he was outvoted.

Coun Heseltine was facing an election to North Yorkshire County Council and up against him was political foe Claire Brooks for the Liberal Democrats and Margaret Billing for Labour - these were the days when Labour supporters in the town could actually vote for their party. Coun Heseltine had two narrow victories over Mrs Brooks under his belt already but Mrs Billing warned it was far from a two horse race.

Bradley farmer Alex Wade was distraught after finding two alsatian-type dogs roaming his land had slaughtered 17 lambs. Mr Wade said he had never experienced anything like it and pleaded with owners to look after their dogs.

The head teacher at Low Bentham School retired. Miss Muriel Lowe, who lived in Austwick had spent virtually all her teaching career in Craven, starting off at Bradley School before moving to the now-closed Stainforth School as head teacher and then on to Low Bentham.

Vandals wrecked seats donated in memory of the dead at Silsden. Five benches around the war memorial and main street had been damaged and thrown in the beck. Each cost around £400 and had been bought by relatives of the town's deceased.

Property prices might be booming now but 10 years ago Craven was emerging from a property slump. Paul Schofield, of James Pye and Son, said for the first time in a long time the number of houses sold exceeded the number of new instructions.