Friday, March 11, 2005

100 years ago: It was expected to be of interest to York people to learn that Her Majesty the Queen had graciously accepted, through Sir Frederick Milner, a bottle of Eau A Bruler, or Russian perfume, as made by Mr Kendall, chemist, of Coney Street, York, and had expressed her high appreciation of it. The perfume, which was first manufactured at Nun Appleton in 1845, had been in use in the houses of the elite of Yorkshire for more than 40 years. It was a highly rectified spirit, containing, in solution "the most fragrant and delicate combination of choice gums and other aroma-yielding substances, by means of which, when dissipated, a perfume of an exquisitely subtle sweetness and permanent character may be diffused throughout an apartment".

50 years ago: A stuffed brown and white bull, once used to advertise cattle trucks, had been lent to the York Castle Museum for display in the new agricultural gallery, which was due to open at the end of the month. The bull belonged to a Leeds pioneer motorist and former Lord Mayor of the city, who had let the museum have it on an indefinite loan. The offer was gratefully accepted by the museum, and the curator included an invitation to the opening of the gallery in with his letter of appreciation to the bull's owner. In the days when it was used for advertising purposes at Yorkshire agricultural shows, the bull had the companionship of a stuffed horse, which had already been given to the museum a few years previously.

25 years ago: Some old glass panes advertising tailors' wares in a Malton shop were uncovered during alterations, and they held a story of rising prices. The advertisements, which dated back to 1933, were on Gibson's shop in Saville Street, and put the minimum price of a suit at 45 shillings. But a grandson of the founder remembered that they had plain blue serge suits at 35 shillings, and patterned ones for 37 shillings sixpence, but the painted glass panes were so expensive that his father put 45 shillings so they wouldn't date quickly. The tailoring business had been started 135 years previously in Finkle Street, Malton, from where it moved first to the Saville Street premises with the glass panes, before moving to the opposite side of the street 16 years previously.

Updated: 16:03 Thursday, March 10, 2005