Way we were

100 years ago

The new premises of the Beverley Post Office in Register Square - only a few yards from the existing building - would be opened to the public in a week. The ground floor contained a spacious public counter, behind which were the telegraph, telephone, and telegraph manager's room. Adjoining the public counter was the sorting room, which ran the entire length of the building, in which had been erected fittings of the most modern type for all branches of the business. There was a retiring room provided in the immediate vicinity for the male clerks. From the private hall a flight of stairs led to the upper floor, where there were rooms for the postmaster, stores, telegraph linesmen, postmen, and the female clerks. In the yard were the usual out-offices, together with provision for the engineers' stores, and shelters for mail carts, bicycles, etc. The new building was of red brick, with stone dressing.

50 years ago

The headmaster of Nunthorpe Grammar School, York, Mr H V Moore, had glanced round at some of his former pupils on the previous evening and said: "This is a particularly fitting moment for an old boys' annual general meeting. I wonder how many of you know why?" Mr Moore did not seem unduly surprised at the lack of response, and went on. "It is the school's birthday. Thirty-five years ago 'Taffy' Evans and various other stalwarts opened the school with 50 boys. Now we have 545 and are, I assure you, in urgent need of the new buildings which we hope are on the way." Mr Moore suggested that the committee might try to have future old boys' annual general meetings on or near the same day each year.

25 years ago

It was feared Fishergate Primary School, York, might close after the retirement of its headmaster, Mr Stephen Roberts, at Christmas. No decision had yet been made and consultations would be held between North Yorkshire Education Authority and school governors and parents regarding possible alternative places for children. The building was more than 80 years old, in an area of declining residential population, and the authority had to deal with a drop in York's primary school numbers amounting to one-third over ten years. "The authority wants to discuss with parents and governors the future of the school and look at alternative possibilities for children in the area. They might be absorbed into other schools," said an education spokesman. The drop in York's primary school population was such that only about 1,200 children went on to secondary education, compared with 1,800 seven years before. Fishergate had about 300 pupils. Mr Roberts, who had been teaching in York since 1950, had been its headmaster since 1970.

Updated: 16:07 Friday, September 23, 2005