A CRASH, two demolitions, a restoration and a mystery for you on the pages of Yesterday Once More this week – plus a couple of other historic photographs that have not much connection to anything, but which we thought were interesting.

First up, from our trawl through old photos kept in The Press's electronic archive, is the crash.

We have two pictures showing the dramatic scene on August 4, 1958, when the Sunderland to York train over-ran the buffer stops on Platform 12, mounted the platform, and tore into the kiosk, apparently injuring 11 people.

Sadly, we have no further details about what happened, but perhaps one of our readers will remember the events of that day.

Next up, two demolitions: both dating from the 1960s. Our first photo from this year shows two workmen in the process of demolishing Castlegate School. There have been a number of schools with this name.

The first, according to the A History of the County of York website, was the Castlegate Catholic School, a charity school which opened in the early 1800s and appears to have been closed before 1845.

In 1890, a Castlegate Higher Grade School for girls was opened in a building erected by the Church Extension Association. It closed in 1905.

In January 1913 the Castlegate Council School was opened in the same building, with space for 530 girls and infants. The school was closed in 1954 and was demolished, according to the caption on our photograph, in 1969 – presumably to make way for the Coppergate development.

The children were transferred to Fishergate and other city schools. In March 1984, the Yorkshire Evening Press carried a report headlined Tree of many memories, which described a reunion of former pupils of the school for a tree-planting ceremony in memory of their years there.

The tree, a copper beech, was planted by the side of the new river walk to the development – and was in part a tribute to a much-loved copper beech which for years had stood in the school playground.

Our second demolition is that of St Maurice's Church, on the corner of Lord Mayor's Walk and Monkgate. In our photograph, it looks a rather grand affair, but it was pulled down between 1966 and 1969.

In our restoration photograph, one of York's more famous historic buildings looks almost unrecognisable. But this is, in fact, the Merchant Adventurers' Hall, during restoration work in 1938.

Two miscellaneous photographs next, which we bring you for no other reason than that they caught our eye.

One shows Gillygate, pictured in about 1909. The lantern on the right is for the Bay Horse pub, the caption said.

The other shows a barge gliding under Layerthorpe Bridge, on May 2, 1956.

York Press: Image from PictureGalleryModule_ID:3157710

And finally, that mystery. It comes in the form of a very Downton Abbey-ish photograph, showing what looks like an entire complement of servants – butler, footmen, kitchen staff and so on – posing for a photograph in front of a grand-looking building.

York Press: If you can identify the people, or which building they are standing outside, please contact Stephen Lewis

But what is the building? And who are the people in the photograph?

If you recognise the building, or the people in the pictures, we'd love to hear from you.

 

• We welcome contributions from readers to Yesterday Once More. However, we would ask you not to send in original old photographs, as we cannot guarantee that these will be returned. If you have old photographs or documents you would like to share with us, either send copies, phone Stephen Lewis on 01904 567263or email stephen.lewis@nqyne.co.uk