Wednesday, February 16, 2005

100 years ago: The contractor was proceeding very well with the work in connection with the Queen Eleanor Cross to be erected in York, in memory of the 1,500 natives of Yorkshire who fell in the war in South Africa. The question as to the exact position of the cross on the grass plot adjoining the Wills Court was now before the Little Blake Street Improvement Committee. Considerable correspondence was taking place in connection with the revision of the rolls and names to be inscribed on the memorial, and it was feared, owing to the many variations in the descriptions of some of the men furnished by different sources, that it would be almost an impossible task to have every name recorded accurately.

50 years ago: The Princess Royal intended to be present at the St George's Day celebration service in York, it was announced at a meeting of the Yorkshire branch of the Royal Society of St George. The celebration service would be held at All Saints' Church, Pavement, York, at 11 o'clock and will be conducted by the rector, the Rev Angelo Raine, who was also the city archivist. After the service a luncheon would be held in the Merchant Adventurers' Hall, to be presided over by Lord Middleton, the President of the Yorkshire branch and Lord Lieutenant of the East Riding, followed by an address by the Earl of Halifax, a vice-president of the society. If there were any profits from the function it was decided these should be donated to the Knights of St George in Yorkshire, who had done valuable personal service on behalf of war disabled men.

25 years ago: A columnist applauded York's Castle Museum for not conforming to the stuffy image with which so many museums were saddled, as it always fascinated and attracted by its imaginative projection of life in bygone times. The process was taken a step further with the recent highly successful open evening, which attracted 1,500 visitors for an insight into how the museum worked and met the people that made it work, and to see practical demonstrations. The columnist wondered if this would open the way for other establishments to have similar events, such as attending training sessions at the football or rugby grounds, or turning up at the Theatre Royal for rehearsals or to see scenery being created. "Who knows," the columnist concluded, "the Castle Museum may have blazed a trail where others will follow?"

Updated: 08:32 Wednesday, February 16, 2005