February 22 to March 1, 2010 (From Worcester News)

February 22 to March 1, 2010

10:56am Monday 22nd February 2010 in

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THIS WEEK IN 1960:

TRAGEDY struck in College Street, Worcester, about lunchtime on Wednesday when a 50ft chimney crashed through the roof of the White Hart Inn, injuring two men in the cellar and killing a girl in the street.

Seventeen years-old Janet Ann Tyler, only child of Mr and Mrs Leonard Tyler of Severn Street, Worcester, was on her way home to lunch when she was hit by falling debris outside White Hart. In the pub cellar, police and firemen found Albert Powell (57), brother of the licensee, of Edgar Street, and Frederick Sharp (57) of Borrowdale Drive, trapped by rubble. They were freed and taken to the Royal Infirmary.

Debris covered College Street outside the White Hart, and police roped off the area and diverted rushhour traffic as firemen entered the shattered pub.

Badly shaken, the licensee of the past 15 years, Joe Powell told a reporter: “I was standing in the doorway when it happened. Without warning there was a crash, bang wallop and I thought it was an explosion. There were four people in the bar but luckily none of them was killed. My wife and daughter were upstairs and scrambled out of the building unhurt.”

Miss Tyler was educated at Worcester Grammar School for Girls and was employed as a shorthand typist by the Phoenix Assurance Company in Broad Street.

THIS WEEK IN 1970:

BY intense activity, the police have managed to contain the spread of drugs in Worcester, said Detective Chief Inspector Fred Hickman this week. He explained that although the police had been criticised for giving so much publicity to the problem, they now felt their “publicise and educate” campaign was paying off.

THIS WEEK IN 1980:

CITY councillors at Worcester have voted overwhelmingly to impose a partial “no smoking” ban on themselves. By 20 votes to 12, they decided to ban smoking at their monthly council meetings, but only up to the tea interval.

Councillor Ron Walker pointed out that of the 36 city councillors, 16 were smokers. Councillor Bob Bullock feared the eventual effect of a no smoking ban might be to leave the council in future years with a team of non smokers simply generating hot air.

THIS WEEK IN 1990:

TOURISM chiefs in Worcester have hit back at a survey which describes the city as “unwelcoming, too parochial and rather closed.” But city tourism and marketing manager Andrea Watkins hit back saying: “A lot of people like Worcester very much for the shopping, riverside and heritage and are extremely positive towards the city and its people.”