Dorrell heirloom out for railway's big date

Kays, Worcester's largest employer, has been told by city councillors to take its plans to develop key sites in the St John's area "back to the drawing board." The controversial proposals include the development of the historic Cinderella Cricket Ground for housing and car parking.

A 35 years-old Worcester woman was found strangled in her flat at Lansdowne Rise, Worcester on Monday. At the time of going to press, the police were waiting to interview a man.

This week in 1985:

This year's 150th anniversary celebrations of the Great Western Railway reminded Howard Dorrell of an unusual heirloom in his family.

It is an elaborate damask tablecloth presented to Mr George Russell who founded Russell & Dorrell as a business in the early 19th Century. The tablecloth is embroidered with a railway engine and Mr Russell's name and was presented to him when the rail link between Worcester and London first opened in 1846. The presentation was as he rode on the first through service on the Oxford, Wolverhampton and Worcester Railway.

County MP Michael Spicer is flying round the world for three weeks on a special aviation mission. As Minister for Civil Aviation he will visit Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and the USA in pursuing key aviation issues affecting the United Kingdom.

This week in 1975:

City councillors are considering major new traffic proposals for the centre of Worcester to come into effect in about 12 months time on completion of the £2 million City Walls Road.

New one-way traffic systems are planned for North Parade, Dolday, All Saints Road, The Butts, Shaw Street, Sansome Street, St Nicholas Street, The Cross, St Mary's Street, St Oswald's Road, Pierpoint Street and Sansome Walk.

Road accidents in the West Mercia Police area cost the community nearly £1 million last month.

And more than half this total was due to fatal accidents which shot up from 11 in July to 18 in August - double the figure for the same month last year.

This week in 1965:

A one-day boycott of local buses by Worcester people was advocated by Mr E.H Stock at the latest meeting of the City Trades Council.

He said that such a public display would bring home to the Midland Red Bus Company the "sheer discontent" of the citizens who were gravely disturbed over recent sharp fare rises and about the inadequacy of local services. These, he claimed, were now "the worst in the country."

Sir Gerald Nabarro, prospective Conservative candidate for South Worcestershire, stresses that there is no truth in the rumour, repeated by a national newspaper columnist, that he would be willing to give up South Worcestershire if he could get the nomination for the Cities of London and Westminster where there is a Parliamentary vacancy caused by the death of Sir Harry Hilton-Foster.

This week in 1955:

Pershore Council has accepted under strong protest an increased tender for the gas street lighting of the town for the next 12 months.

The Gas Board has put up the annual charge by £67 from £591. 12s.11d to £658. 12s.11d.

The makers of "Corona" regret that at times during this exceptional summer they have been unable to allow their valued customers the unlimited supplies for which they have asked. With everyone asking for "Corona" and insisting on it, the demand over the last few months has outpaced even our substantial resources.

Heron Lodge, Worcester, the new area sales office of the Midland and South Western Region of the Metal Box Company, was formally opened yesterday.

BEFORE THE 1900s: FRESH AIR FEAR LED TO 30 YEARS IN BED

250 Years Ago:

On Thursday, on receiving the welcome news of His Majesty's safe return from his German Dominions, the bells of this city were rung and, in the evening, there were bonfires, illuminations and other demonstrations of joy, loyalty and affection.

A few days since died at his home near Droitwich in this county in the 80th year of his age, Mr John Tallis who had laid in his bed without rising from it for 30 years past, under the opinion that he could not bear the fresh air.

To keep himself as much as possible from it, he had but one window in his room with glass three times the common thickness, and the covering to his head consisted of near 100 yards of flannel. His night shirts were lined with swan-skin, the breast and sides of which were quilted, and he had always a number of small pillows in his bed. He had stoppers fitted to each nostril, held a piece of ivory in his mouth, and a piece of woollen cloth was laid over his face.

200 Years Ago:

We understand that the oratorio "Messiah" will be performed at the approaching Musical Festival in Birmingham upon a more extensive scale than at any former concert, the committee having procured the additional accompaniments as arranged by the great Mozart for a variety of instruments which were imperfect or little used in the time of Handel. The addition of eight or nine parts of the score for wind instruments by such a masterly hand as Mozart's, we think, cannot fail to greatly enrich the effect of the band, particularly in the sublime choruses.

A melancholy accident happened on Tuesday to a boy who was riding on a loaded cart returning from Birmingham to Evesham. Having fallen asleep, he dropped under one of the wheels which going over his body, so bruised him as to cause death the same night.

150 Years Ago:

"Fortunate Escape from Drowning" - On Tuesday afternoon, as a girl about nine years of age was sitting with a small child in her arms on the steps near Worcester Bridge on the western side of the Severn, the child was dragged from her arms by the rope of a boat which was passing up the river, and the child was flung into the water. The poor girl, much alarmed, immediately sprang into the river and endeavoured to catch the child but was unable to do so, and herself and the child would almost certainly have been drowned had not a young man rushed in and fortunately secured them.

Much praise is due to the young man (his name we have not yet ascertained) who thus, at the risk of his own life, saved the children from an untimely death.

There are often to be seen young children playing on the banks of the Severn and we hope this will prove a caution to parents not to allow their children to approach so near the water.

100 Years Ago:

From an industrial point of view, the trials of mechanised delivery vans, now being organised by the Automobile Club, will be of much importance.

There can be no doubt that a great future lies before the mechanically-propelled delivery van, not only for the more expeditious delivery of goods but in linking together isolated parts of the country with towns and cities. The trials will comprise 30 days' service of each vehicle with daily examinations by the judges.

There will be four classes of vehicles under test, ranging from a carrying capacity of five hundredweight to one and a half tons. Kidderminster is one of the four test centres nation-wide

Charles Jenkins, aged 12, of The Wyche was charged at Malvern Police Court with breaking into the house of James Selby, schoolmaster at The Wyche, and stealing a lady's silver watch, a golf club, six golf balls, a lady's gold ring, a bracelet, a pound of jam and two bottles of stout, to the total value of £2. 6s. The magistrates ordered six strokes of the birch.