HOW different East Street is now from the street I remember from the late 1950s.

Starting at the top of the hill on the west side there was the coffee house café followed, going down, by the Swan Court development, with shops and flats above.

Moving down there was a group of buildings set back from the road at right angles where Mr Spencer (the cobbler) had a shop.

Next was a Gospel Hall used by the Plymouth Brethren.

A shop followed, which was not open to the public, with a front door and a window you could see through. The shop was filled-up with fruit machines, one-arm bandits, juke-boxes and pinball machines.

Further on there was an old Victorian Methodist Chapel.

Four houses were seen after this before one got to the bottom of hill where the Spotted Dog pub was. It was a bit unusual in that it only had a license to sell beer and cider.

After this came the entrance to George Yard and across, to the right, was a tall brick building, it being a disused brewery.

Directly across was a oneman dental surgery and a shop run by Mr Morse where he sold household goods.

Proceeding around the bend was the fire station and the Freemason’s Hall.

There were then three further houses leading to the Fiesta Hall (a function room).

There was then a gap which took one to the Working Men’s Club nearly at the end of the street to join London Street.

Crossing East Street, as if to return to the start, there was a corner shop followed by two houses. A narrow road led to a car park on the right where East Street School’s teachers parked their cars. This also led to the outdoor swimming pool.

Crossing this road, one then met the fenced off junior school playground, then some terraced school buildings set back from the road, which included two cottages with their front doors facing the road. The infants’ playground followed and this was directly opposite the bright red doors of the fire station.

A large, green, corrugated iron building came next.

This was the Drill Hall, which was later called the Country Bumpkin. It was a dance hall with a licensed bar. Many years later it was destroyed by fire.

Crossing Eastfield Road, the hill started and a long row of houses took one nearly to the top.

The oldest church in Andover came next, it being the Congregational, which today is the United Reformed Church.

Number 44, up the hill, had part of the downstairs turned into a shop run by Mrs Spencer.

Three houses followed, then Adelaide Road was crossed, where one met a low stone wall with fencing behind, at the far end of which were two stone pillars which formed the entrance to the recreation ground.

Number 46 was occupied by Oliver Hopkins who was a deeply religious man and a lay preacher. He was always happy and smiling and would stop his bike to speak to anyone. On a Sunday, he would cycle to distant, outlying villages to preach and I am told he could really belt it out. I saw him many times. He would have an open Bible in his window with tracts for the public to read.

Number 60, being the last house of the street, was the home of Luke Bull, a wellknown chimney sweep. I left school at 4pm one autumn day and saw him with his heavy bag of brushes and extension rods, going up the hill.

And then one finally reached opposite the starting point of this letter.

Derek Weeks, Martin Way, Andover.