Way we were

100 years ago: The members of Ye Olde Queen's Head Pipe and Four-in-Hand Club held their smoking concert at the Queen's Head Hotel, in Fossgate, York. The club, which was a revival of that held in the old coaching days when it was an accomplishment to drive a four-in-hand, was well attended, having a membership of over 40. The members spent their evening in "a convivial and friendly way over the pipe and bowl". A smoking concert was held once a month, when members were allowed to invite friends, this last one having "a capital programme", which was rendered by a number of gentleman with piano accompaniment.

50 years ago: After printing a reminder that "time" meant that drinks in York public houses had to be finished at 10.30pm, except for Sundays when it was 10pm, Mr Nobody wondered how the average Frenchman would fare in York. For, at the time, the French were reported to be concerned about a proposal to introduce licensing hours at all, the columnist claimed. The suggestion was that French bars should close at 5am, reopening at 10am, and Mr Nobody claimed it had rocked a nation which "regards a glass of wine in much the same way as we regard a cup of tea". The average Frenchman, he continued, drank more alcohol than any other man on earth, and he also claimed that the French were not interested in figures that showed that their steady intake was gradually ruining their health. The average British man didn't drink wine at the time, he added, but despite Britain's restricted licensing hours he managed to do quite creditably with beer.

25 years ago: Harrogate councillors suspended their ban on the Monty Python film Life of Brian until they had seen it, after the Harrogate General Purposes Committee decided its Film Selection Sub-committee was wrong to ban the film unseen. The film still couldn't be shown at Harrogate until councillors had seen it, and there was still a chance that even then they would reinstate the ban, depending on what they thought of it. A recommendation was put forward, which was accepted overwhelmingly by the committee, that the film should be viewed by the committee and that in future no film should be banned without a viewing.

Updated: 11:20 Saturday, November 27, 2004