Flood warnings and defences are very much in the news at the moment and these remarkable pictures show the chaos caused by heavy downpours and a freak storm in the 1950s and 1960s. On the left hand page we can see the scenes after a particularly heavy downpour in Guiseley in 1954 as vehicles battled their way along roads that could easily have been mistaken for rivers. On August 21 Otley Road in Guiseley looked more like a river than a busy route through the centre of the town. In one image a lorry can be seen heading towards Leeds on the badly flooded road. The picture below that captures a number 55 bus ploughing on despite the horrendous conditions as it made its way towards Bradford.
MEMORIES of Christmas past can be found in these photographs of cards and celebrations from years gone by. Dating back to at least the 1940s they show some of the much-loved traditions of the festive season which still endure to this day. The photographs, which are from the archives of Aireborough Historical Society, were taken in Guiseley, Rawdon and Yeadon - except for a wartime Christmas greeting which was sent from The Middle East. Two images of cards each feature Yeadon Town Hall, but depict eras a century or so apart. A card sent by estate agents and surveyors Ackroyd and Dent dates back to 1980 and marks the town hall’s centenary. The traditional snow scene shows the market.The building features again on an undated card showing a romanticised picture harking back to Victorian times.