From our archives:

85 years ago

The fragrant smell of hyacinths pervaded the Thirsk Friends’ Meeting House as members of the Adult School displayed their cakes, bread, rugs, mats embroidery and other handicrafts.

The occasion was the annual hyacinth and handicrafts show, a regular event for many years.

With a host of first class cards and awards the show was followed by a concert and a short play, “Mrs Glegg Quarrels with Mr Tulliver.”

The “Yorkshire Herald” had been informed that the Princess Royal intended to attend a dance matinee at the Opera House and Empire, York, on March 31.

Accompanying her would be her eldest son and Princess Helena Victoria.

And the Duke of York, who was the Colonel-in-Chief of the East Yorkshire Regiment, inspected the 2nd Battalion of the regiment at Catterick Camp.

During the Duke’s stay the weather was delightful, adding to the military splendour of the proceedings.

50 years ago

The Czechoslovak Communist Party had accepted the resignation of President Novotny.

The official news agency Ceteka had reported that Mr Novotny had been under strong pressure to resign for some time but had retired for health reasons.

British designer Mary Quant had made several statements during her latest fashion show in Madrid, revealing that “Skirts will be even shorter that year” and that she was “a Puritan”.

She also said the mini-skirt was not “an idea but an explosion of the young” and that the whole idea of the mini-skirt had brought her more “headaches than pounds sterling.”

And two shire horses pulling a London brewery dray clopped across the forecourt at Buckingham Palace to celebrate its 90th anniversary.

20 years ago

To the tune of a marching pipe band, and the peal of the Minster bells, anti-European protestors marched through the streets of York, bringing traffic to a standstill.

The marching army of around 400 protestors assembled in the Museum Gardens, setting fire to a paper European Union flag as two light aircrafts also flew overhead, trailing their own banners declaring “EMU spells disaster”, and “No Euro – Save Our Pound”.

And for the first time since it reopened in 1960, the oak columns of York’s Guildhall could be seen in all their glory, thanks to a new £20,000 lighting system donated by the York Civic Trust.

Virtually destroyed by an incendiary bomb during the Second World War, the massive oak columns were brought to the city from Northumberland.