Way we were

100 years ago: The son of a Proctor of the ecclesiastical Court of York, born under the shadow of York Minster, four years before the accession of Queen Victoria, was interviewed in the paper. He told of one of his earliest recollections, the burning of York Minster in 1841, when he was six. His parents, who were at a concert when the news arrived left immediately, and on reaching the scene found a cordon of dragoons drawn up round the Minster yard, where his mother was refused permission to go through to her house. "But I have seven children inside," she said. "I am sorry, but I can do nothing," replied the young officer to whom she spoke. She looked into the dragoon's face, smiled, and then dived under his horse, coming up on the other side; and in that way she got into the house and directed the arrangements for the children's removal amid a falling shower of sparks. The house had an interesting feature too, for in the back part, which they used as outhouses, Guy Fawkes lived, his father being a notary public in York.

50 years ago: Every sixth penny dropped into a model windmill outside York Mansion House lit up the three little windows, and it attracted so much attention when it was put up that pennies were dropped into the box at the base of the windmill at the rate of one a minute. The money went to the fund for preserving Holgate Windmill, which at the time was a gaunt relic of the past. The target figure of the fund to restore it and make it a thing of beauty again was £950, of which £365 had so far been raised. The windmill would be painted, the sails restored and it would generally be made weather-proof.

25 years ago: A large block of shops, 23-31 Coney Street in York, would remain boarded up until the end of the year at least, as the Littlewoods Organisation, who owned the site, had no plans to remove the hoardings until it was sold early next year. The block of shops was bought by them ten years ago with a view to developing the site, but ditched the plans last December after years of trying to agree a suitable design with York City Council. The site, in the prime commercial centre of the city, was expected to reach between £2 million to £3 million when sold at auction in London.

Updated: 16:17 Friday, October 29, 2004