100 years ago

100 years ago

August 26, 1899

THE Guardians at Droitwich workhouse received a letter that had gladdened their hearts. It was from a former child inmate who some years ago they had sent to Grimsby to learn the fishing trade. The youth said he was progressing well and wished to be remembered to the board and hoped they would enjoy the basket of fish which accompanied the letter. The widespread practice of workhouses sending youngsters to sea had long been a contentious issue.

THE last ticket issued from Droitwich's old railway station and the first from the new building had been specially mounted and presented as souvenirs to the Spa's mayor Ald Langford, by a Birmingham man who was a regular visitor to the town.

ALFRED Hall paid dear for the shilling's worth (5p) of fruit he stole from Thomas Wall's Ford Farm, at Rashwood, when he was hauled in front of Droitwich Spa magistrates. They fined him a hefty 10s 6d (52.5p) plus 8s 6d (42.5p) costs and a shilling for the fruit. They did, however, give him the option of spending 14 days in Worcester Jail.

TRAMP James Eastman would have the time but not the leisure to reflect on his behaviour which landed him before Bromsgrove magistrates. He had refused to break stones in return for a night's bed and board at the town's workhouse. And, in a bid to shirk the task, he had ripped up his own and a replacement set of clothes given to him by the guardians. Sentencing him to two months' hard labour at Worcester Jail, the chairman said it was wrong for young people to go about doing nothing when there was work to do.

50 years ago

August 27, 1949

THE old punched ticket system, as used by Midland Red conductors based at Bromsgrove's bus depot, and elsewhere in the district, had been replaced by a roll-type ticket from a Verometer machine. It was claimed it would simplify accounting procedures which was a major task considering the company carried 1.2 million passengers an average of 200,000 miles every day on its 1,678 vehicles.

COUNTY education chiefs warned parents in Bromsgrove and Droitwich Spa they would not tolerate them taking youngsters out of school to work with them in the hop fields. Years ago there had been a mass exodus of families from Bromsgrove and the Black Country and some families in the area still kept up the tradition.

A GROUP of Garringtons workers were to spend some time at the firm's stand at a top engineering exhibition at Olympia, in London. It was thought it would give them a better understanding of how the company operated. Last week the firm, based at Aston Fields in Bromsgrove, had given 500 workers a week's notice.

PUPILS from Colmers Farm Secondary School, in Rubery, had returned from an exciting two week air trip to Holland. During their stay they had visited the rebuilt Arnhem bridge and met former members of the Dutch resistance movement.

THE recently nationalised West Midlands Gas Board announced a price rise which varied from area to area. In Bromsgrove the twopenny rise meant a therm would cost 1s 5d (7p) but families in Droitwich only faced a rise of one penny a therm.

25 years ago

August 23, 1974

THE numbers of visitors to Avoncroft Museum at Stoke Heath, Bromsgrove, rose to 33,396 last year compared to 25,542 the previous 12 months.

Their latest exhibit, The String of Horses, from Shrewsbury, had exhausted funds and more cash was urgently needed if the museum was to flourish.

ALTHOUGH only partially open, the new Bromsgrove to Redditch dual carriageway was causing problems for residents living nearby. They complained of excessive noise from traffic and dust from contractors' machines. They added weight to the belief held by many that Bromsgrove was fast becoming a major junction for juggernauts.

THE warning that taps in Bromsgrove could run dry at some stage in the future came as the East Worcestershire Waterworks Company learned it could not sink another bore hole in the area. More immediately Battlefield Brook had run dry forcing farmers to carry water to stock. In Sanders Park the district council was to pump water into the stagnant pool as fears grew that mosquitoes would breed and pose problems for nearby residents.

TOILET attendants Mr R Troth and Mrs I Bennett could rightly claim to have a loo with a view. The pair, from Stourbridge Road and Breakback Road respectively, had each bought themselves portable TV sets so they would not miss their favourite programmes while working late shifts at Bromsgrove's new conveniences in Market Street.