From the Archives - March 20, 2008

10:55am Thursday 20th March 2008

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100 Years Ago March 21, 1908 The subject of fines for non-attendance was raised once more at Saturday's meeting of the Evesham Town Council. Two of the members were away through illness, a third was away "on important business" and a fourth was absent without any explanation. The town clerk properly reported the third and fourth as absent without excuse and they will have to pay the customary fine, which is five shillings. To fine a man who was away on important business was said to be hard but we cannot admit this. If a man likes to accept the honour and dignity of a seat on the town council, he should attend to the business which he is elected to transact. If he puts this aside and transacts his own private business instead, he should not mind paying the small fine inflicted.

75 Years Ago March 25, 1933 The founding of the oldest Sunday School in the Pershore district was commemorated at the Pershore Baptist Church on Sunday when special services were conducted by the Pastor (the Rev I Harlick). It was in March 1804 that Walter Brown, a Pershore philanthropist, was instrumental in establishing the Pershore Baptist Sunday School, the work of which has continued unceasingly for the past 128 years. One of the most outstanding facts in connection with the history of the school is that no less than 39 old scholars laid down their lives for their country in the Great War. Special commemoration services were held in the afternoon and evening, the first being for children. At both services the pastor said that about the only data available on the school was to be found on the tombstone of Mr Brown in the Baptist churchyard.

30 Years Ago March 23, 1978 Proposals to scrap the Port Street diversion scheme, which for years has blighted the centre of Evesham, have been warmly welcomed in the town. The scheme came to prominence in the Evesham draft town plan of 1973 and was for a new inner relief road to avoid the Bridge Street/Port Street/Waterside bottlenecks. It has been strongly opposed by the Evesham Town Council, Wychavon District Council, the Vale of Evesham Civic Society, Bengeworth Traders' Association and a number of other organisations and individuals. Mr M N Duffy, chairman of the civic society, said it was totally irrelevant to Evesham's traffic needs and problems. "It has been obvious for some years now that a much larger by-pass of the town is the only answer," he said.