100 years ago

The members of the Women’s Social and Political Union had attempted to hold meetings in Hyde Park in defiance of the ban placed upon such gatherings by the Home Secretary.

In expectation that the suffragettes would defy the prohibition a great crowd, estimated at about 20,000 persons, assembled in the area where the meetings had been held hitherto.

Several women wearing the colours of the Union put in an appearance, and were at once the centre of a dense throng. One of the women mounted a box, and, waving a flag, commenced to harangue the crowd, while her companions distributed leaflets.

The proceedings had not lasted three minutes when the police interfered. There were some cries from the crowd of “free speech” and “are we in Russia?”, but the great majority of spectators were hostile to the suffragettes, and mounted and foot police checked the crowd, who hustled the women.


50 years ago

Delegates at the biennial conference at the Civil Service Union unanimously carried a resolution asking the union to do everything in its power to stop contract cleaning at Government offices.

Kathleen Edwards, senior assistant secretary of the union, said that a spy might be able to get access to secrets in Government offices by means of a disguise of overalls, mops and pails, under the system of contract cleaning which was being adopted in many of them.

"In the case of direct cleaners there has always been the most stringent check of references before Mrs Brown, of London Town, was admitted to a government office, particularly a security one. We are by no means satisfied that this always applies so far as contract cleaning is concerned. What guarantee have we got that Olga the beautiful spy will not find access to some of our secrets by means of a disguise of overalls, mops and pails.”


25 years ago

A fountain had gently come to life in its first full-scale public performance for a century. Eight of its nine spouts were hidden at Castle Howard until the South Lake was dredged and the water level dropped.

Only the central main spout had worked in this century, and the remaining pipes were bent double out of sight.

The "waterworks" were returned to their former glory with the fountain back in shape as Prince of Wales feathers.

Restoring the gardens was part of a rolling programme of work celebrated by an exhibition in the historic house, which was the setting of the classic TV blockbuster Brideshead Revisited.

This covered 40 years of restoration in and around the stately home, and featured before-and-after photographs.