100 years ago December 10, 1898

100 years ago

December 10, 1898

SHOP staff in Bromsgrove were looking forward to an extra long Christmas break this year. Stores would close late on Saturday night, Christmas Eve, and open again on Wednesday. The town council had also decided to switch market day from Tuesday to Wednesday.

MANY of Bromsgrove's largest shops carried adverts for Christmas goods. John B Wilson with shops in High Street and elsewhere in the district was selling Scotch whiskey at 3s (15p) per bottle, bottles of best Claret at 1s 6d (7.5p) and 1876 vintage brandy at 5s (25p) a bottle.

THE Earl of Plymouth, and his wife, entertained several shooting parties at Hewell Grange before leaving England to winter in Nice. They planned to move on to Florence in the spring.

SARAH Green, aged 71, met with an unfortunate accident when walking back to her home at Harber's Hill, Stoke Prior, after attending a service at Hanbury Church. As she neared the Country Girl pub, she was struck by a cycle ridden by Richard Crawford of Bromsgrove. Both were knocked unconscious. Sarah was carried to the pub and Drs Ball and Coaker were summoned from Bromsgrove to attend to Mr Crawford who was conveyed to the pub.

DROITWICH magistrates heard two cases of animals straying onto the highway this week. John Dunn, of Upper Hall Farm, was fined 6d (2.5p) for letting a cow stray at Hampton Lovett. William Bennett, from Wychbold, meanwhile, was fined 1s (5p) for letting two pigs stray on Bromsgrove Road.

50 years ago

December 11, 1948

THE idea for the popular BBC radio gardening programme, Beyond the Back Door, had been born in Bromsgrove, it emerged this week. Broadcaster Godfrey Baseley, from Marlborough Avenue, Bromsgrove, told a group of allotment holders how working on his own plot, at Wellington Road, had given him the idea. Mr Baseley was presenting prizes to the winners of best kept plots in a competition organised by the town council.

THE centre of Bromsgrove came to a standstill on Saturday when coaches, carrying football fans from Bedworth, parked near the ground in Birmingham Road. The problem was made worse by private motorists clogging up side roads in the town, leaving the recently opened car parks empty. The Messenger said for the sake of spending a few pence on a ticket, selfish drivers caused much inconvenience to other road users.

RELIEF was on the way for hard of hearing worshippers at Catshill Methodist Church. A concealed microphone in the pulpit would be linked to earphones strategically fixed to the ends of pews. It was the first time such a facility had been provided in a local church.

AN ambitious plan to build a new road from the Midlands, skirting close to Droitwich Spa and going on to the Bristol Channel, was announced. Access to it would be at Wychbold.

25 years ago

December 7, 1973

THE oil crisis saw motorists clamouring for dwindling petrol supplies at garages in Bromsgrove and Droitwich Spa. Some filling stations were limiting customers to just £1 worth.

BROMSGROVE'S MP Terry Davis had been chosen as the chairman of the West Midlands Group of Labour MPs.

AMBULANCE men in Bromsgrove had fallen into line with their union's instructions to only respond to 999 calls as part of their national pay claim. Presently, the take home pay for a supervisor was £26.

MEMBERS of Finstall WI took the ''plant a tree in '73'' scheme one step further when they planted two copper beeches at the entrance to Penmanor estate.

THE Post Office in Bromsgrove had recruited 100 temporary staff, mostly students, to deal with the Christmas rush. But there were still some vacancies for the job which paid those aged over 21, 53p per hour.

A QUICK glance at the many festive adverts in the Messenger showed John B Wilson in Bromsgrove High Street had Johnnie Walker whisky on sale at £2.39 per bottle. And Ernest Apps, also in High Street, had a two-tier tea trolly at £10.20.