100 years ago

A RAPTUROUS welcome awaited Gargrave's Police Constable Gregory when he returned from the war in South Africa. Villagers were especially pleased to see Mr Gregory as, just a week before, news had been received indicating he had died at sea during his return home. He had left for South Africa in March 1900 leaving behind his wife and three children. They were there to welcome him home along with a cheering crowed of well wishers.

The foundation stone was laid for a new extension to St Margaret's Church, Bentham. Underneath the stone was placed a box containing details of the new building, local newspapers and a bottle containing a document discovered during the building work.

Skipton Town Hall was closed for refurbishment, much to the relief of Herald columnist Phil Up. "The ambitious scheme of ceiling decoration has been greatly out of keeping with the poverty-stricken appearance of the walls and must lead the stranger to wonder into what hall of antiquity he had wandered," he wrote.

50 years ago

The editor of the Craven Herald used his leader column to bemoan the fact that Skipton and Craven had failed to do anything to celebrate the Festival of Britain, unlike similar towns in the area. The odd event had had the word "Festival" tacked on the end as an afterthought. "Is it not time that Craven became much more conscious of its own possibilities as a holiday and tourist attraction?" he asked, pointing out that Skipton had many attractions and could use them as a popular source of revenue.

Dyneley House, a private hotel on Newmarket Street, Skipton, was for sale. With garden and garages, anyone interested had to write to a firm of London solicitors.

Factories and mills closed down as large numbers of the local population headed for the seaside. After inquiring at the railway station, the Herald concluded that the pre-war trend of abandoning the resorts of Blackpool and Morecambe in favour of the east coast was continuing. Having said that, it still described Morecambe as "Craven on Sea".

25 years ago

FANS of Coronation Street were pleased to see actor Bryan Mosley, better known as Alf Roberts in the soap, open Ingleton Gala. He crowned gala queen Gillian Brown in an event which raised £1,000.

Meanwhile, still in Ingleton, the Ingleton Co-op Society was celebrating its centenary and to mark the occasion was putting on an exhibition to show what the co-op's grocery would have been like in the 1920s. There were 10 members of Ingleton Co-op who had been in the society for more than 60 years.

Jack Brotherton retired after 45 years on the buses. Originally a bus conductor, he ended up in charge of the West Yorkshire garage on Hebden Road.

A new bungalow being built on Raikes Road, Skipton, overlooking Ermysted's cricket field to the rear, was advertised in the paper for sale at £26,500.

10 years ago

OPPOSITION to a development of eight houses on the site of the Linton Residential Camp was being drawn up. A previous plan by a company based in the Isle of Man had been turned down, a decision upheld by an appeal.

John Goodfellow was appointed chief executive of Skipton Building Society after the death of his predecessor Terry Adams. Arthur Jeanes and Ian Hepworth were appointed to join the board.

Ivan Grodeckyj, from Pendle Street in Skipton, was lost for words when he met his Russian nephew Karolina Konefal after being split from him 50 years earlier. Ivan last saw his nephew when Karolina was just one year old. He had joined the Polish Cavalry and ended up in a German prisoner-of-war camp before making his way to England after the war. His family was left behind the Iron Curtain but Ivan was able to trace them and welcome his nephew to this country.