From our archives:

85 years ago

On a whole York’s one-way traffic experiment had gone very well.

Traffic looked orderly, and for the first time Coney Street was free from traffic congestion during the morning business rush.

Motorists and cyclists and those in charge of horse-drawn vehicles had given the Chief Constable’s scheme their co-operation.

At the end of the month’s experiment it was hoped that the local people would have become thoroughly accustomed to the new rules.

Many prominent Coney Street traders were however a little apprehensive as to the effect of the scheme on their trade.

Not taking any action yet, the traders hoped to give the system a fair trial.

And the “Yorkshire Herald” and “Evening Press” Malton Relief Fund had bounded past the £1,800 mark in two hours with a total of £1,834.

50 years ago

A £12,000 “big freeze” which had noting to do with the cold spell or Mr Harold Wilson, had been successfully affected at East Cowick, near Selby.

The freeze had become a necessity, as subterranean water was hampering excavations for the foundation of a pumping station and holding up Goole Rural Council’s £350,00 sewerage scheme for East Cowick.

Television sets had been provided for two children’s wards at York County Hospital by the Inner Wheel of Ainsty.

“It was my idea really,” said Mrs Audrey Swallow, the president. “Each year the president chooses something different and as I have two children of my own, who both love watching television, I thought this would be a good idea.”

And York’s sorting office in Leeman Road had announced that it had handled half-a-million more letters more than the previous year.

20 years ago

York’s pantomime, Aladdin, had to say bye bye to its “Telebabbies” characters after infringing the BBCs strict copyright laws.

But York Theatre Royal had said “Oh no we haven’t” and that the Telebabbies had proved a huge hit.

“It’s one of the traditions of British panto that we always include references to topical issues,” said Jim Melvin, the theatre manager.

The BBC was also clamping down on firms making money out of Teletubbies costumes, and had come under fire from a York fancy dress hire shop.

Bargain hunters in York were cashing in on a cut-price Christmas as stores started slashing their prices.