Thursday, January 12, 2006

100 years ago

Mr Butcher and Mr Faber were running strongly in the last lap of that great race - the General Election. At the junction of Paragon Street and Fishergate they had addressed a large open-air meeting during the afternoon. During the General Election the results, as they arrived, would be shown on the "Yorkshire Herald" Election Ladder erected in front of the office in Coney Street. Moveable figures of the party leaders, Mr Balfour and Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, would move up the ladders as the election progressed. At night the figures would be lit by coloured electric lights - blue and orange. The figures would show the main totals on each side - Unionists on one ladder and all Home Rulers on the other, including Liberals and Labourists.

50 years ago

When the Mark VII Jaguar made its debut at the 1950 Motor Show, it was acclaimed the finest post-war British car in its particular field; it led the world then with its famous XK engine and quality finish. That prestige was still maintained by its successor, the Mk VII M, still Britain's leading dollar earner and recently made available to the home market with the Borg-Warner automatic transmission. Among its refinements were two speed windscreen wipers, tool compartments in both front doors, anti-dazzle rear view mirror, twin fog lamps, violet dash light for night driving, twin petrol tanks with individual pumps which gave a spacious luggage boot, and a special anti-child rear door lock. The car was produced in 23 colour combinations from battleship grey and red to British racing green and tan. Ordinary model Ms cost £1,711 7s including tax and the automatic drive versions £1,903 7s with tax.

25 years ago

Work was progressing on the controversial retaining wall at British Rail's new carriage cleaning depot being built in Jubilee Terrace, York. Claims that the wall would make Jubilee Terrace and Kingsland Terrace "a canyon with people looking straight out on to a brick wall" were made by Councillor Les Marsh at York Development Services Committee. The City Planning Officer, Mr Eric Pearson, was instructed to approach British Rail to discuss the problem. But British Rail said the wall was necessary. Part of the depot sloped towards the road and the wall, ranging in height from 3.7m to 4.7m, would be a safety precaution. Work on the new depot at Clifton Carriage Sidings, which would be able to service, maintain and clean up to 185 coaches a day, had started about 12 months before. It was expected to be completed by 1982 at a cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds. The two-part scheme was part of BR's modernisation policy. Work included modernising track, improving yard lighting and renewing the carriage washing plant.

Updated: 16:20 Wednesday, January 11, 2006