Looking Back: News from our archives

From this newspaper 150 years ago. – Amongst the schemes affecting this district, for powers to carry out which application is to be made to Parliament in the next session, in addition to that of the North Eastern Company for a line through Leeds is one of some boldness promoted by a new company, to be called the Leeds, North Yorkshire, and Durham Railway. The chief feature of the project is, the construction of a competing line through a district which has hitherto been exclusively occupied by the North-Eastern Company, beginning at Leeds and extending in a north-easterly direction beyond Stockton with branches and junctions with existing companies, by which railway facilities will be supplied to localities which at present do not possess them. In many of the districts so situated, the new company, it is understood, have been enabled to make favourable arrangements with the landowners and others who approve of the proposed railway; but there can be no doubt that the scheme will be vigorously opposed, especially by the North-Eastern Company, with whose traffic it would necessarily greatly interfere.

From this newspaper 100 years ago. – Hawes. The Hawes shops have assumed a Christmas aspect. The drapery establishments of Mr H F Martland, Mr C Milner, Mr Allen, Mr Spencer and Mr E Blythe make a good show of seasonable goods, but there is this year an absence of all ballroom fineries, as dancing this season will no non est. Goods of a more serviceable kind, however, take their places. The boot shops also speak of service rather than fancy, and good stocks are to be seen in the windows of Mr D D Atkinson and Mr R Grainger. Messrs S Moore, J S Foster and Sons, J Thompson and Sons, T Metcalfe and Sons, W Metcalfe, John Thwaite, and Mrs Robinson display a fine collection of Christmas fruit, Yorkshire hams, Wensleydale cheeses, etc and the toy, Christmas card, and fancy goods repositories of Mrs Blythe (Post Office), Mr Hiscock, Mr G Swain, and Mr C Iveson contain excellent stocks of goods which are not "made in Germany." Mr C Henderson and Mrs T Metcalfe have sweets of all kinds, and the establishments of Mr J R Metcalfe and Miss Routh contain tempting displays of cakes and other confections. Tobacco, cigarettes, and other smoking requisites may be obtained from Mr R Spencer and Mr S Lodge, whilst Mr O R Bowe, chemist, shows an array of scented soaps, perfumes, and kindred articles. Mr Whitehead displays photogravures of leading statement and military officers. Messrs Clarkson and Co show to advantage their stocks of wines and spirits.

From this newspaper 50 years ago. – The new automatic telephone exchange at Northallerton will be brought into use at 8.30am on Monday, when all Northallerton telephones will be changed over to the dial system. Many numbers will be changed. All Northallerton subscribers will have a Sub-scriber Trunk Dialling (STD) and it will be possible to dial direct to about 930 exchanges, ranging from Edinburgh to Bristol. Subscribers on other exchanges in the Northallerton district and in the Thirsk and Wensleydale areas will also benefit, as they will be able to dial nearly all their local calls direct. They will not, however, get Subscriber Trunk Dialling facilities yet. The first Post Office telephone exchange in Northallerton was opened about sixty years ago and by 1907 had only twenty three lines connected to it. Circuits to Darlington and York gave access to the trunk system. By 1946 it had grown to 480 lines and today there are 1,450. The present exchange in the Head Post Office was opened in January, 1932. It originally consisted of three operating positions with a total staff of four. There are now twenty-three operating positions with a staff of eighty. The switchroom has been extended as far as possible in the present building, and no more switchboards can be squeezed in. The new automatic exchange was planned some years ago to open in 1964, but because of the rapid rise of telephone business in the last two or three years, its opening has, in practice, come too late to prevent severe overloading of the switchboards during the past year. Telephone uses have often had to put up with a poor service, when operators, working to the limit of their ability, have been unable to answer and connect calls with the speed and efficiency which they would have liked. With the opening of the new exchange the difficulties should disappear and telephone subscribers over a wide area should get much better service, and many more facilities than in the past. The new telephone exchange building is in Alverton Lane, behind the Head Post Office and was erected in 1962 by Walter Thompson Ltd. The exchange equipment has been installed during the past year by Standard Telephone and Cables Ltd., at a cost of £120,000. Equipment to cater for 1,900 lines has been provided, and there is ample room for extension in the future as required.