Wednesday, June 23, 2004

100 years ago: That the Ouse was a considerable river, draining an extreme stretch of country, was shown by the rapidity with which it rose to its accustomed level after the closing of the opened dam. The Foss was filling too, but scarcely so rapidly despite its narrower channel, for it was "remarkably" deep for its width, deeper in proportion than the Ouse, and so it was given the aid of the steam pump at the Castle Mills locks. Full advantage had been taken of the slack water by riverside owners to effect required repairs and improvements. The boat landing below Lendal Bridge had been considerably deepened by the removal of a layer of silt, quite three feet in thickness, and everyone with premises abutting on the water had had a look at their usually submerged fall pipes and foundations.

50 years ago: Columnist Mr Nobody wondered how many bachelors were caught by magic on Midsummer Night's Eve, the traditional time for husband-seekers to cast their spells, and there were plenty of old Yorkshire customs to try. Centuries ago lonely maidens sowed hempseed secretly at midnight, and then chanted rhymes invoking the future husband's appearance. The favourite place for this was in the churchyard, although some less energetic spinsters merely dug a hole in their own gardens and walked round it in the belief that a man would follow. Other Yorkshire spinsters tried the Midsummer variation of teacup reading. They studied the appearance of an egg, broken into a tumbler, and hoped to see something indicating the type of man they would marry.

25 years ago: Brummels Nightclub was shortly to be put on the market at £150,000. The club was at Middlethorpe Hall, the 18th century former home of the Terry family close to York Racecourse, and was a Grade I listed built on Queen Anne-style lines. It had been a nightclub since 1972, although it could be converted with planning permission to an old people's home, hotel or similar.

Updated: 08:28 Wednesday, June 23, 2004