THIS WEEK IN 1958:

JEANETTE Lane of The Homestead, Worcester Road, Fernhill Heath, just could not believe her eyes when she went out into her garden this week, soon after hanging out a line of washing – feminine underwear, three pairs of men’s underpants, a shirt, nightdress and socks.

With the exception of a pair of her father’s underpants, the washing had all “vanished into thin air,”

apparently consumed by mystery flames which even burnt the pegs to almost nothing.

Police and fire officers are unable to offer any explanation for the flames which destroyed the washing.

● A total of 65,000 yards of wire has gone into the creation of a new hop yard at Broomhall, Norton-juxta- Kempsey, owned by Captain WM Aldersey. It is one of the most modern hop yards of its type in the country. The main poles of Finnish wood are costing more than £9 each.

The new hop yard will not be in full production for three years.

THIS WEEK IN 1968:

SO far it has been a catastrophic year for farmers including all those in Worcestershire. There has not been a single bright spot in the farming calendar since November last year when the foot-and-mouth epidemic first broke out.

In addition to this disaster there has been torrential rain and flood. The bad weather this month is the final devastating blow. Not all the winter barley has been harvested and only five per cent of the winter wheat crop and 15 to 20 per cent of winter oats have been taken in.

● A £250,000 appeal to help foot-and-mouth disease hit farmers has been launched by the National Farmers’ Union.

The appeal is in aid of the 1,100 farmers who suffered financially through having their stock slaughtered in the first four weeks of the epidemic before valuations of stock rose sharply.

THIS WEEK IN 1978:

NORTON Barracks, home of the Worcestershire Regiment for 100 years, is well worth preserving, according to Wychavon district planners.

They are asking Whitehall to place a protective listed building order on the historic gatehouse keep of the barracks which dates from 1877. And they will ensure that any future owners of the barracks – soon to be vacated by the Army – are made aware of the order.

Wychavon council has already bought 16 Army houses on the barracks’ site.

● Another bid to get the ban lifted on a Rock Against Racism concert in Worcester has been rejected by city councillors. They voted by a two-thirds majority this week to veto plans by the local branch of the Anti-Nazi League to hold such an event on Pitchcroft.

The council’s decision came despite strong protests that the National Front was active in Worcester and the council should be taking a positive lead to promote racial harmony.

THIS WEEK IN 1988:

EIGHT acres of prime building land on Worcester’s Westside has just been snapped up by developers for a record price, rumoured to be about £4.5 million. Midland and General Homes of Wolverhampton submitted the highest private bid to the county council for the land alongside Oldbury Road which forms part of the grounds of the Worcester College of Higher Education.

The eight acres, declared surplus by County Hall, were used for agricultural studies and as student accommodation in wartime concrete huts. A tall and impressive belt of trees along the frontage of the site is covered and protected by a city council tree preservation order.