From our archives:

85 years ago

An extraordinary robbery of a box of gold, valued at over £10,000, took place from a railway van in a London street. The box consigned to the premises of the Sheffield Smelting Company in Berry Street, Clerkenwell, London, had been dispatched from the Sheffield headquarters by the LNER. Despite its great value, the box was insured for only £50 and was being transported by a bog-standard delivery van from Marylebone Station, without a police escort, which had been declined. A slight outbreak of fire had occurred at the St Stephen’s Orphanage in York. Only two beds and a curtain had been damaged, thanks to the prompt action of the Orphanage staff. And the Lord Mayor of York, Alderman H Rhodes Brown had been pictured putting the finishing touches to the “makeup” of Miss Kathleen Burgis, who played the title role in the “The Belle of New York” at York’s Theatre Royal.

50 years ago

The United States had halted all bombing of North Vietnam, at 2pm, in preparation for some “serious and intensive” negotiations with Hanoi to end the Vietnam war. Government leaders and officials throughout the world had welcomed the latest peace move although there was no immediate reaction from the Soviet Union, China, or North Vietnam itself. Stamford Bridge County Primary school held its official opening with a visit from the chairman of the East Riding Education Committee, Lady Halifax. The new £46,000 school for infants and juniors was a welcome addition to the area, to house some of the children belonging to the staff of the proposed Full Sutton prison. And the local head office of Barclays Bank in York had moved in to its newly-acquired premises situated on the corner of Pavement and Parliament Street.

20 years ago

Staff at a Selby card shop were on “bear-watch” after losing £300 worth of Winnie-the-Pooh and other cuddly toys in the last month. The spate of bear-nappings at Clinton cards started after the theft of two medium sized Winnie-the-Poohs worth £15.99 each and a cuddly Gromit toy complete with satchel. And York Art Centre, Britain’s first such centre, celebrated its 30th birthday. Based in the old St John’s Church in Micklegate the centre had arranged a week of events to reflect the diversity of the venue.