100 years ago

Fierce gales inflicted Craven with serious damage. In Skipton a large plate glass window of J Wade's grocer's shop was blown in; a Dutch barn near the Craven Heifer was blown right across the road, breaking the wires of the telegraph pole and carried over a hedge; and the entire roof of a building off the Bailey was lifted off.

The postponed ceremony of the planting of two Coronation oaks finally took place in Grassington. It had been said that oak trees would not grow in Grassington soil but the villagers were determined to prove the saying wrong. The oak planted in the square was to be named King Edward's Oak and the one in front of the town hall was called the Queen Alexandra Oak.

The corner stones of a new 'Ibbotson's Institute' were laid at Hebden. The Ibbotson's Apprentice Charity had accumulated the funds for a suitable reading and recreation room for the village. A celebration was held to mark the occasion and Grassington Brass Band helped entertain the guests. A dance was held in the evening.

Rev AP Howes was presented with a marble timepiece and a purse of gold by his parishioners at Bolton Abbey on the occasion of his leaving to take up a post at Sussex. Rev Howes had been rector at Bolton Abbey for the past 20 years. In his leaving speech he said that when he came to the village, he didn't have a single grey hair, but on his departure he had plenty!

50 years ago

The waiting list for telephones in Skipton was due to end with the creation of a new telephone exchange in the town. Subscribers were due to get a new telephone, a new number and a new speaking clock service. The new 'super-exchange' promised to give a quicker and better service to its customers.

An example of community spirit was shown in Embsay when 17 villagers of the Brackenley Estate got together to repair a length of pot-holed roadway. Giving up their free time to repair the road was a company director, a station master, commercial travellers and several textile workers. Children helped by carrying sticky tar in their miniature wheelbarrows. By the end of the weekend the men had levelled 200 yards of the roadway and were hoping to get together to complete the whole stretch.

A large, realistic scale model of Belle Vue Mills, Skipton made from cake and sugar iced was the spectacle at the third annual staff ball of John Dewhurst and Sons, Limited. The model weighed 25 pounds and was designed from aerial photographs by Day's of Keighley.

The Ministry of Transport informed Skipton Urban District Council that having a roundabout in Caroline Square was 'impracticable' and did not justify experiment. But motorists called the square "Skipton's Skittle Alley" and said the lay-out was an unnecessary complication and dangerous.

25 years ago

Steeton's Shelagh Brayshaw became the youngest Bluebell girl in Paris' Lido club. Shelagh, 15, was to join the famous troupe in June and after the Herald broke the story earlier in the year had been the focus of national media attention. The Herald reported how she had been flown to Paris this week by the Daily Express to test out her moves with the other women.

Craven Council was investigating claims that there was a car parking shortage in Skipton and looking at ways of increasing provision. The auction mart had been approached unsuccessfully and councillors were considering building a multi-storey car park in the High Street. A quarter of a century on......

The first ever marriage ceremony was to be held in the chapel at Malsis School, Glusburn. Deputy head Thomas More and school matron Bridget Entwistle were to marry at the end of this month. The boys would be away for Easter holidays but it was hoped that some would return to sing in the choir at the event.

10 years ago

THE Herald had a new editor. Ian Lockwood was a fresh-faced 34-year-old appointed to take over from Jack Heald, who was due to retire at the end of the month. The new editor would be moving back to his native Skipton after spending most of his journalistic career in York.

Hillsborough victim Tony Bland died this week at Airedale Hospital. Mr Bland had been kept artificially alive for the past four years and was allowed to die after a judgement from Law Lords. Pro-life protestors had been actively campaigning outside the hospital against the decision.

The first ever council tax figure for Craven was set. Skipton households were to pay £512.82 for an average band D property - less than half what they pay today.

The Hellifield and Long Preston by-pass was given the go-ahead by the Department of Transport, after a public inquiry. Residents were delighted that heavy traffic would be removed from the villages but some businesses were concerned that they would lose their passing trade.