From our archives:

85 years ago

Mr Roger Lumley, the MP for York, figured in a wordy duel with Mr Lansbury, the leader of the Opposition, during a debate on unemployment in the House of Commons.

The House was discussing the motion by the Opposition regretting the Government’s failure to initiate effective measures for reconstructing the nation’s economic life.

Mr Lumley quoted from Mr Lansbury’s speech in the debate on the Address when he said he was not prepared to give people money year after year if they had means to maintain themselves.

Although smaller than many exhibitions held in the city in past years, the Winter Exhibition of the York Arts Society, was opened in the York City Art Gallery, and was considered to be of its usual high standard of quality.

50 years ago

About 40 Women’s Royal Army Corps (TA) officers from all over the Northern Command area were attending a study conference at Imphal Barracks, York.

The session was opened with an address by Lieut-Gen Sir Geoffrey Musson.

When you get a singing audition you don’t turn it down. So when York’s singing architectural assistant Brian Elliot - a bass - got the offer of an audition for Offenbach Orpheus in the underworld at the Grand Theatre, Leeds, later in the year he didn’t waste any time in going along.

He passed the audition and then came the awful realisation: there were no bass parts.

York City, after successfully completing the transfer of right half Les Collinson from Hull City, were still hopeful of concluding the negotiations for a forward from another Yorkshire club.

20 years ago

A crumbling York church was to become home to a new National Early Music Centre thanks to a £1.5 million lottery payout.

The York Early Music Foundation's £2 million scheme to transform redundant St Margaret’s Church Walmgate was to both revitalise the area and create a mecca for early music lovers from all over the country.

More than 60 new bar and hotel jobs were to be created through the re-launch of a well-known York pub.

Around £1.5 million would be spent by bass taverns revamping the Hopgrove on Malton Road and building an adjacent hotel.

Themed Irish pubs in York had little to celebrate on St Patrick’s Day after applications for extensions were refused due to police objections as St Patrick’s Day was not even classed as a special occasion under licensing legislation in the Irish Republic.