From our archive:

80 years ago

Holidays were here again, and it was well to remember that packing, not cramming, ensured that crisp appearance which was essential to every woman if she was going to enjoy her holiday to the full. According to features writer Olga Wright there were certain common-sense rules when packing a trunk. Firstly, the heavy and non-crushable articles should be placed at the bottom of the trunk. Shoes, brushes, heavy coats and so on, should be packed tightly, so not jerk about and crush the lighter garments on top and plenty of tissue paper was ideal for those flimsy frocks. And with long hot summer days demanding long, cool drinks, Sugar Beer was the drink of choice to quench one’s thirst. The drink made of boiled hops and sweetened with sugar or honey, was topped with a floating slice of toast spread with half an ounce of compressed yeast creamed with sugar, and then covered with a cloth and left to stand overnight.

50 years ago

Billy Smart’s circus had come to York Knavesmire for the first time in three years with a range of entertainers, both human and animal, sufficiently varied to provide something to please all ages, the Big Top alone could accommodate between 5,000 and 6,000 people. Made in Germany at a cost of £20,000, the lighting and heating were provided by seven electric generators and nine aerators, with the main generator capable of providing sufficient power to light a film studio. And a York teachers’ panel had expressed that they were totally against the city’s Road Safety Committee suggestion of putting back school opening times by half an hour to 9.30 during the winter months. Under the new British Standard Time, the road safety committee had been anxious about the possible effects of children going to school in the dark.

20 years ago

It was party time for one of York’s oldest and tiniest pubs after Landlady Eileen Worrall had refused to take no for an answer when city councillors had refused her permission for a street party to celebrate the Blue Bell’s 200th anniversary. Now thanks to the backing of Lord Mayor Derek Smallwood, York Police and a host of others, common sense had prevailed, and the street party had gone ahead to celebrate the Fossgate pub’s third century. And fat cat Zac, who weighed 34lb, had gone on to achieve celebrity status following a publication by the Evening Press.