Wednesday, February 1, 2006

100 years ago

A correspondent signing himself Playgoer had written to the Press saying, "A far wider circle than that comprised under the name of play-goers would hear with dismay and sincere regret that permission seemed likely to be given for smoking in the Theatre Royal during the performances of what were frequently called "popular plays," meaning plays which appealed especially to the pit and gallery. Licence of this nature could only be considered as the first step in the path that led from a recognised theatre, with a long and worthy record, to a commonplace music hall."

50 years ago

There would be no more numerical nightmares for the staff at the Kirbymoorside branch of the Westminster Bank. At their premises in the Market Place, where banking first began more than 130 years before, there had been installed "an electronic wonder." This machine, which closely resembled a twin-keyboard typewriter, and was operated on similar lines, enjoyed the designation of "mechanised accountancy." Though comparatively small and simple in outline and operation, it was a glutton for work. Such an innovation was one customers would appreciate, for the old hand-written passbook was replaced by a daily statement of account - tabulated, typewritten and tidy. It was accurate and infallible too and could deal with amounts up to a maximum of £9,999,999 19s 11d - if there was that much cash in the Kirbymoorside district.

25 years ago

Jim Spriggs was busy filling his freezer -- not with food but 1,000-year-old finds from York's Viking dig. It was part of a revolutionary freeze-drying process, which was helping archaeologists to preserve the past. Mr Spriggs, of York Archaeological Trust, said: "We are the first unit in this country to use it on a large scale. Over the years, particularly since the Coppergate dig started, we have been getting a lot of leather and wooden objects. Most excavations don't produce this sort of material, and until recently we have not been able to treat many of them because our laboratory in Marygate was not suitable for the organic solvents needed." However, the trust had bought a freeze drier out of a £35,000 grant from the Danish travel firm Tjaereborg. Finds were washed, soaked in a lubricant, put in a domestic freezer and then transferred to the freeze drier. The system, an adaptation of food processing techniques, meant that fragile objects retained their size and shape. "If we dried these objects out naturally, they would shrink and go hard and brittle," Mr Spriggs explained. Leather spent about two days in the drier, wood from a week to 10 days. After going through the process finds were unable to reabsorb moisture from the atmosphere and ought to be "everlasting."

Updated: 11:19 Wednesday, February 01, 2006