125 Years Ago - 1892

Bank holiday was not observed at Otley at all except by the banks, a general holiday so near the “Feast” being altogether out of the question. The vehicular traffic through the township was, however, unusually heavy, and a large number of cyclists also passed through.

At the West Riding Police Court George H. Newton, Edward Newton and Frank Newton were summoned under the Towns’ Police Clauses Act, charged with having annoyed their mother Maria Anne Newton. When the case was called no-one turned up to prosecute and Mr. Willey stated that the mother of these young men was the prosecutrix, and it appeared that they all visited her house in Horsforth, and knocked at her door for a short time, but were refused admittance, and she had brought this charge against them in consequence.

100 Years Ago - 1917

At Ilkley Grammar School speech day Alderman J. P. Hinchliffe said the war had taught us many things and there were many problems that would now have to be settled. The chairman of one of the largest companies in Great Britain once said to him that more loafers could be found in Market Street, Manchester, than in the whole of Germany, but the public were now beginning to realise that the existing industrial system would have to be altered so that it would not be possible for a child of 16 or 17 to be exploited for industrial purposes and then turned adrift to become in many cases either a pauper, loafer or criminal.

A meeting of the Ilkley Local Tribunal was held in the Town Hall on Monday evening to consider applications of discharged soldiers and the physically unfit. The first application pleaded domestic hardship. He stated his age was 18, single, but had only been classed C3. The Military Representative opposed the application as he thought the youth would be of far more service in the Army than by continuing in his present occupation. The application was not granted.

75 Years Ago - 1942

FOUR men from the Otley area have been fined £20 each and future offenders warned that they would be jailed for smoking in a factory containing highly flammable material.

An invasion meeting is to be held at Pool in case anything untoward should happen. Residents are in doubt as to the correct procedure should invasion occur but the Invasion Committee is advising rural residents to stand fast and for farmers to stay on their farms. The committee is at pains to point out that Pool is under no greater threat of invasion than anywhere else.

50 Years Ago - 1967

THE first step towards providing facilities for jet aircraft at Yeadon Airport was taken on Monday when the controlling committee agreed unanimously that the airport’s main5,400ft runway should be extended to 7,300ft. Within four years, jet aircraft could be taking off and landing on a runway extending from the Horsforth side of the airport almost to the brow of Otley Chevin.

The erection of a primary school in Tranmere Park, Guiseley, is included in the 1967-70 school building programme announced by the Secretary of State for Education and Science.

25 Years Ago - 1992

A ROW over the address of Otley Post Office is still raging after four years. The saga has been going on since 1988 when the wrong address was displayed on the front of Otley Post Office. The error was spotted by Eric Wood who owned the neighbouring smithy, and began a campaign to get the post office properly addressed.

Not since the days when the early railway navvies thrust a line through the heart of Wharfedale 127 years ago has there been so much engineering work along the route. For five weeks the vital rail connections with Leeds and Bradford have been severed whilst engineers push ahead to prepare the Wharfedale network for electrification and the 21st century.