Saturday, May 20, 2006

100 years ago

As May neared its end, the weather had become less summer-like, instead deteriorating to heavy rainfall. Cricket the previous Saturday had been out of the question and the only form of outdoor sport indulged in was that of polo on Knavesmire, and the players must have felt their ardour considerably damped at having to pursue the sport under such meteorological conditions. There had been 70 large keels and lighters moored in the River Ouse between the Blue Bridge and Ouse Bridge, and in addition several steamers. In the Foss there were also 40 to 50 keels. The boats presented a fine appearance as they were borne up on the broad bosom of the Ouse, which was in flood. The river was flowing very rapidly, and the current was particularly strong amongst the boats with their broad bows.

50 years ago

Dozens of resorts up and down Britain were already turning their beaches into cash. Happy was the town with plenty of firm sands, for they lured traders and entertainers as well as holidaymakers, and Whitsun was the right time of year when beach rights for the coming season were auctioned. Deckchair concessions, permits to set up ice-cream stalls, tea stalls, or pony stands - they brought in an income, which enabled many resorts to reduce their rates considerably. Even our comparatively small seaside places found that they could readily make their foreshores profitable. Hornsea, the Yorkshire resort with a population of 5,000 had sometimes received bids of £400 for ice-cream sites on or near the beach.

25 years ago

A Design Council Award made to the new Ford Escort for its elegance of engineering, detail design and low maintenance requirements, was presented by the Duke of Edinburgh at a special ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall, London, to Mr Sam Toy, chairman and managing director of Ford of Britain. In making their choice, the judges for the Design Council commented: "The new Escort represents a serious attempt to balance the sometimes conflicting requirements of improving safety, environmental protection and fuel economy at acceptable cost. This applies not only to the initial purchase, but subsequently to the car's long interval, low work content, maintenance requirements.'' The Design Council Award was the latest in a series of accolades bestowed on the Escort in recognition of its excellence of design. An international panel of motoring writers had judged it "Car of the Year 1981" and it had received national awards in five European countries. Introduced in September, 1980, the car had established itself as the fastest-selling car in Ford's European history, and production had already passed the 250,000 mark.

Updated: 16:21 Wednesday, May 17, 2006