125 years ago

Mr Pullan, of Brunswick Villa, Otley, has submitted to us an extraordinary egg laid by a goose 36 years old, now in the possession of Mr Charles Pullan, of Darley. The egg is perfectly symmetrical, weighs over 11 ounces, and its longest circumference is 12 inches. We believe this is the largest egg, shapely and perfect, which has heretofore been brought under our notice.

The Otley Coffee Tavern Company Limited. An extraordinary meeting of the shareholders was held in the large upper room, in order to confirm a resolution passed at the annual meeting, relative to the voluntary winding up of the company. The Reverend S R Anderson occupied the chair and the resolution was adhered to without a dissentient.

At a meeting of the Otley School Board a lad that was brought before them as an incorrigible, had only absented himself from school the half day since the board's last meeting. When the lad appeared the chairman explained that if he did not continue his regular attendance at school, the board had no alternative but to send him to a training ship or an industrial school.

100 years ago

The annual ball in connection with the St Patrick's Day celebrations was held in the Mechanics' Institute, Otley, on Friday night last. It proved to be the most successful dance held at the institute this year, a large number attending, and there were as many as 16 sets (128 dancers) on the floor at one time. The profits on the event amounted to close on £4.

This year one local dairymaid has set her masculine contemporaries a splendid example and by supplying fresh butter at 1s. per pound to the workhouse has shown that Wharfedale dairy farming can, if it cares, compete with either the Danish or any other foreign producer.

Parents Day at the Yeadon elementary schools was a great success. More than 200 adult persons are said to have visited the South View Schools on Monday last, for the purposes of seeing the classes actually at work in accordance with the timetable arrangement of the school curriculum. Expressions of surprise and wonder were frequently uttered by the visitors (fathers and mothers) as they noted the different methods now employed in the instruction of the young.

75 years ago

Two Otley children returning from Leeds Infirmary in the Otley ambulance had an alarming experience when the ambulance and a four-ton lorry came into collision at Bramhope Church corner. The lorry was going towards Leeds and had almost rounded the corner when it came into collision with the rear of the ambulance. The lorry then crashed through the churchyard wall. None of the children were badly injured.

An Otley man has become the first in the area to build his own home. Frederick R Longstaff and his son, Eric, built the property at Burras Lane entirely out of stone from local quarries. Mr Longstaff, a stone mason, built the property, which has six rooms, together with a bathroom, larder and outside coal-house, in just over three years. He said: "It has been my spare time hobby."

Criticism of the county council with respect to road maintenance was voiced at the meeting of Guiseley Urban Council this week. A letter was read from the West Riding authority relative to county roads and footpaths in Guiseley area. The chairman criticised the county council, saying that a number of promised schemes had not been carried into effect.

50 years ago

A gold key for the last of the 79 houses on the Pool Church Close housing estate, built by Wharfedale Rural Housing, was formally handed to the first tenants, Mr and Mrs Henry Perkins, at a ceremony on the estate yesterday afternoon. The ceremony was attended by members of Wharfedale Rural Council and of Pool Parish Council. After a spell of speech-making, the chairman of Wharfedale Rural Council, Councillor Mrs S E Fenwick, handed the key of the two-bedroomed house to Mr and Mrs Perkins, who formerly lived for 19 years in Wharfe View.

A sum of £20,000 was realised by a two-day sale by auction on Tuesday or Wednesday of the stock and equipment of Yeadon Engineering Ltd at the premises in Harrogate Road, Yeadon, which are to be vacated. There was an attendance of about 200 and prices for commercial vehicles, cars and machine tools were described as good. Machine tools included £1,250 for a universal milling machine, £700 for a hydraulic vertical press and £485 for a high-speed nibbling shears.

An allegation that motorists drive too fast along the lane to Clifton village caused concern at the annual parish meeting this week. Members stressed the danger to pedestrians, particularly children, using the lane, and it was reported there had recently been several narrow escapes.

25 years ago

Assistance that was given to the police in a midnight incident at Otley by two members of the public was acknowledged at a ceremony at Otley police station. Letters of commendation were handed to Mr Adrian Duke, 22, of Ilkley and Mrs Christine Shaw, of Otley. During the incident, two PCs were having difficulty dealing with three young men who were drunk and disorderly and who were assaulting police in execution of their duty. Mr Duke saw what was happening and physically restrained one of the men, allowing all three to be arrested. Mrs Shaw, who lives nearby, had telephoned 999 to obtain assistance.

The long delayed project to set up a centre for Otley's unemployed appears to be approaching a conclusion. It now seems likely that the centre will be opened in early May in Otley Area Office of the City Council, in Boroughgate. This development comes more than a year after Otley and District Trades Council mooted the idea of a centre.

Five foot waves forced a team of Rawdon firemen to cut short their sponsored canoe venture on Lake Windermere. The seven were lashed by snow, hail, rain and fierce crosswinds as they attempted to cross Derwentwater, Grassmere. Three of them took a ducking.