MY memory of the 1951 York Festival (January 10) was mainly of the Georgian Ball at the Assembly Rooms not at the Knavesmire as printed.

The guests were mainly councillors and their partners, county people and those able to get tickets. One had to be in full Georgian costume, which made it a splendid affair - the elegant gowns and the finery of the gentlemen gave members of the public waiting outside fantastic photo opportunities.

At the time of the festival I was working for the Saxone shoe company in Feasegate and was asked by a customer to dye a pair of white satin court shoes to match her gown.

This was so successful that I became inundated with requests for the same service.

The river pageant was a very colourful addition to the festival.

The line of craft with their coloured lights brightened up the evening.

There was an atmosphere of people being proud of Britain's achievements and, if one looks at the site of London's Festival Hall which is now a well known venue, and compare that with that Millennium farce the Dome, that cost a fortune and produced nothing like the exhibition at the Festival Of Britain, one wonders where one can find people today that can match it.

Peter Pink,

Bootham Crescent, York.

...THANK you for the Yesterday Once More In Pictures about the York Festival of 1951 (January 10).

But allow me to point out that the Georgian Ball was held in the newly- renovated Assembly Rooms in Blake Street and not as quoted, the Knavesmire.

There were 400 dancers all dressed in period costume and the music for the ball was provided by Tommy Kinsman's Band from London. It was a wonderful sight to see because many of the guests arrived in horse-drawn coaches and carriages.

The soldiers at Micklegate Bar are not marching but are stood at ease, and may well have been from the Army Cadet Corps. Also, the name of the actor was kept a secret but only for a short time. It was, in fact, Joseph O'Connor, a 33-year-old Dublin-born actor.

Peter A Jackson,

Elma Grove,

Shipton Road, York.

...READING "Festival lights up city" brought back memories of working as an apprenticed dressmaker above Hartnells in Market Street, York.

I helped make three of the gowns and sometimes the head girl would allow us to peep through the curtains and see a client wearing one, a real thrill. I went to Blake Street on the night of the ball to watch guests arriving in their carriages outside the Assembly Rooms. It was wonderful.

Eileen Sotheran,

Keith Avenue,

Huntington, York.

Updated: 11:16 Wednesday, January 15, 2003