May 16 (From York Press)

May 16

10:05am Wednesday 16th May 2012 in Way we were

100 years ago

The new pavilion erected on the bowling green of the Knavesmire Bowling Club at Fulford by Mr W Parkin, the President of the Club, had been formally opened by Mr ET Dunn, previous President of the Club.

The pavilion consisted of a reception room, club room, and a room for visitors, and it would form an invaluable adjunct to the green. Mr Dunn, in performing the opening ceremony, said that the very fine pavilion which had been erected by the President of the Club would prove an invaluable addition to the comfort of the members.

50 years ago

The BBC had come up with a brilliant idea for a do-it-yourself programme which it called Bucknell's House.

Barry Bucknell, builder, electrical engineer and motor mechanic, would spend 26 weekly programmes showing how he transformed a 100-year-old house in bad repair into two modern, self-contained maisonettes.

It was by far the biggest job yet tackled by handyman Bucknell, but the object of the series was not to show how one man could convert a house single-handed. “It would take one man at least a year to do it on his own,” said Bucknell, who would have a staff to help him.

“The object is to show viewers all the jobs which can be done in a house, and is in response to a number of requests.”

25 years ago

Ryedale MP Elizabeth Shields was pressing for the reopening of a rail station closed to passengers almost 60 years before.

She would have liked to see the Strensall stop brought back, in view of the big increase in the population of the area. But it all depended on county council cash and the authority was likely to shunt the idea into a siding.

Two years before it decided against pumping money into a new platform as it was felt the bus service was adequate. A county council officer said that since then the bus service had improved, so a change of heart was unlikely.

But Mrs Shields said a quick and direct link into the centre of York from Strensall could attract many passengers. People would welcome the chance of a service which cut through the daily traffic congestion in the rush-hour route into the city. “British Rail is looking to improve services and put in more stops.

This is a good time to put in a bid for our part of the world,” she said. Strensall station was opened in 1845 when the York to Scarborough line was established. It closed to passenger traffic in 1930, but remained in operation for goods traffic until 1964.