100 years ago

THE opening of the sanatorium at Eastby was a first for the area. It was the first time a local authority had paid for the treatment of paupers suffering from tuberculosis. There were private sanatoriums around the country, but the Eastby venture was the first to treat the disease among workhouse inmates. Eastby, said the paper, had caught on as a health resort and was very popular with Bradfordians. "There are also lodged above the village several London patients who are trying the effect of the splendid moorland air to repair the ravages of the murky and microbe laden town atmosphere," said the Herald.

The longest meeting of Skipton Urban Council on record (it finished at 1.20am) heard a report on providing a water scheme for Skipton on Embsay Moor. A reservoir would cost at least £72,000, but it would last at least 40 years.

At another meeting of the same council that week, speed limits were discussed. It was decided to press for a 10 miles per hour limit on all the streets in the town, and six miles an hour over all bridges.

The final service took place at Bradley's Wesleyan Chapel, opened in 1815, before the building was demolished. It was being pulled down to make way for a larger, more commodious building.

Guy Fawkes Day was celebrated in subdued fashion in Skipton and district said the Herald. Only a few years ago the event was celebrated "vigorously" but the Herald speculated that the tradition could even die out due to lack of interest.

50 years ago

THE first weekend in November was traditionally the start of the salmon running season in Craven and crowds gathered, particularly at Paythorne Bridge, to witness the event. There was a considerable number of sightseers at the bridge over Fell Beck in Clapham to see the salmon leap the waterfall. Though the salmon tried endlessly the Herald reported that none succeeded in reaching the upper waters of the beck and the fish must have been severely battered in their attempts.

The delay in opening a new Skipton secondary school was frustrating for the governors said Dr Ollerenshaw, the chairman of Skipton Secondary School governors, at school speech day. He said the education authority had acquired Aireville and work was due to start in 1952 but now 1953 was slipping away and there was still no sign of a new school. Dr Ollerenshaw said cuts in education meant it would be some time before all the school could be accommodated in one building at Aireville and governors felt they had had a "raw deal".

Two farmers and a lorry driver were fined 10 shillings each after a vigilant policeman caught them drinking after time in the the Tempest Arms at Elslack. The pub was due to stop serving at 2pm and close but the policeman went in at 2.55pm and caught the three with half empty glasses playing darts with the landlord, who was fined £3 for aiding and abetting.

25 years ago

CRAVEN Council's housing committee was discussing whether to buy the Cawder Ghyll maternity hospital in Skipton. The district lawyer had informally valued the land at a five figure sum which included the land, buildings and a tenanted lodge. However, he could not see any use for the hospital itself, which had been extensively vandalised and suggested it should be demolished. The committee agreed more investigations should be carried out into the benefits of building houses on the site. The hospital had been built at the turn of the century as an isolation unit for diseases such as scarlet fever and measles.

After 20 years of discussions, outline planning approval was granted for Skipton's central area redevelopment. The planned shopping precinct between the High Street and Coach Street included 19 shops, although it would still be some time before work started on the development, the planning committee reported.

Skipton's Hard of Hearing Club celebrated its 25th anniversary with a jubilee party in the Christ Church Parochial Hall. The club met weekly and also enjoyed a trip to the seaside each summer.

10 years ago

A BBC programme claimed to have conclusive evidence of plans for a secret motorway linking the M65, A65 and A1. For years environmental campaigners had expressed fears that a secret motorway lay behind planned bypasses for Foulridge, Kelbrook and Burley-in-Wharfedale. But the Close Up North programme claimed road planners had a grand scheme in mind linking the M6 from Preston to the A1 past Harrogate, passing through the heart of Craven. The revelations caused uproar among conservationists who feared that the cost to the environment would be disastrous.

Hellifield grocer John Pitchford was honoured as Keighley Cougars' most loyal fan. He had not missed one of the club's past 500 matches. To mark his loyalty the Cougars presented him with a plaque before one of their games.

Record numbers of people had visited Settle's swimming pool in the past year. Several improvements had been made to the facility, the most recent being the addition of a pine kiosk.