25 YEARS: JULY 28, 1979 A gay disco at Kingston's Griffin Hotel was shut down amid claims local hostility was to blame. The explanation from Courage brewery was that it was not making enough money. But homosexual groups claimed the night, described as a venue for disco-loving homosexuals, was the victim of adverse publicity. The closure was to take immediate effect. A spokesman for Courage said the night was not making enough money and was affecting trade at the pub also attached to the Griffin Hotel. A local homosexual said: "It's a shame it closed after such a short time. It had a very pleasant atmosphere."

Kingston Hospital announced it would close the casualty department the busiest in the area for six hours a day unless extra nursing staff could be found. The announcement followed an anonymous tip-off to the Surrey Comet about the plan. The proposed closure was put down to high nursing vacancies in the department and large numbers of staff going on holiday at the same time. Patients would be sent to either Epsom General, St Helier Hospital, Queen Mary's in Roehampton or Royal Surrey in Guildford. A spokesman said: "If we find ourselves in a position where we haven't enough staff we will have to close."

50 YEARS: July 31, 1954 A 53-year-old storekeeper was sentenced to death after being found guilty of murdering a waitress in the home he shared with her. Asked if he had anything to say before the death sentence was passed, Rupert Geoffrey Wells replied in a clear voice: "No, sir." Wells murdered Nellie Officer by strangling her while under the influence of hypnotic sedative Phenergen, which he had been given to treat the alcoholism he had suffered since he was 16. The drug was undergoing tests and not in widespread use. Wells claimed not to remember the attack, which took place at Ms Officer's home in Elton Road, Kingston. In court, the landlord of the Borough Arms public house said Wells walked into the pub and said: "I wanted to tell you, I've murdered Nellie."

Nearly six tonnes of meat which came to Kingston Depot had to be condemned, medical officer JW Starkey revealed in his annual report to the Kingston Corporation. The report also said during the first two weeks of August there was another instance of appalling waste in which large deliveries of hand-killed Scotch beef were sent to the depot. Sanitary inspectors looked at it and supervised trimming it. They were at times overwhelmed by the amount of meat there and discovered that some of it had gone bad.

75 YEARS: July 27, 1929 Several moulded stones believed to be from the Carthusian Monastery which stood in the Old Deer Park, Richmond, were found by his Majesty's Office of Works and members of the Mid Surrey Club on the site of the old monastery and presented to the Richmond Library Committee. The chairman of the committee, professor SL Loney said the Office of Works had asked the committee if they would like to have the stones presented because Kingston wanted them for its museum, but it was thought Richmond should have first offer. It was decided the committee would see what use it could make of them.

A labourer admitted singing Sonny Boy in a rather loud fashion, but denied using obscene language when he appeared at Kingston Police Courts. John William Legg, 24, of Wellington Crescent, New Malden, denied using obscene language in Canbury Gardens at midnight on Tuesday and also denied disturbing the peace. PC Shoesmith told the court he heard disgusting language and went to investigate a disturbance in Canbury Gardens. Legg was singing at the top of his voice, the PC told the court. Letting him off with a caution, the chairman of the bench explained to Legg, not from Kingston, that the kind of behaviour acceptable in New Malden is not tolerated in Kingston.