DURING the early 1940s I was born and raised in Old Winton Road, Andover.

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about those times, and seem to remember a rather large and unusual dwelling built into the chalk at the very top of the road. It was at the junction with South End Road backing on to the entrance to Ladies Walk.

There was a wooden balcony built at its front facing down Old Winton Road and it had what appeared to be a mounted gun of some kind. There was an apple orchard in the large grounds of the dwelling.

There were very few cars around at that time, and I recall drovers driving cattle up Old Winton Road on their way to the abattoir.

Having arrived from the town railway station, they were driven along Bridge and Winchester Streets, up Old Winton Road and along South End Road to their final destination.

The abattoir was located at the end of the South End Road on the right, opposite the municipal allotments in war-time use then.

Carrying small sticks, quite a crowd of us kids would gather and “help” the drovers drive the animals up our road.

A few years ago I was in the reception area of what was then Talbot Davies and Copner, (now Talbot Walker), in Bridge Street, and saw a print on a wall. Every tree that had been planted along the Ladies Walk was depicted together with a note of all the local individuals who had commissioned and paid for the trees to be planted.

I am curious to find out more about that mysterious dwelling built into the chalk, at the top of Old Winton Road. The name of the house was Up Yonder – perhaps that may trigger a recollection by some of your readers.

Reg Wood, Suffolk Road, Andover, via e-mail