TALK about nostalgia!

Your front page story relating to The Lamb Inn took me back more than 55 years.

It was around 1960, before we all had motors, that me and my friends would shamble along Winchester Street (before the new road configuration) and call into The Lamb Inn, especially in wintertime.

It was a wondrous place where we would enjoy our favourite tipples.

With a cider in one hand and a poker in the other I would play with the roaring log fire, encouraging flaming images of wonderment. That was until the landlord told me off !

Interestingly, going back over 300 years, the landlord of this long-standing hostelry was a Mr Strong who had a sideline further along the road making barrels.

He was a cooper and the name of the pub was indeed The Cooper’s Arms. Mr Strong did so well with his lucrative sideline that he sold the pub to concentrate on coopering.

The new owner, a Mr Thomas, did very well too, catering for all the horsedrawn coaches that came his way, especially travelling from the west on their way to London.

The change of name to The Coach and Horses seemed inevitable and came about in 1847.

The early 1900s saw the name change yet again, this time to The Lamb Inn.

In the mid-20th century the financial eyes of Wadworth Brewery lit up and were attracted to this booming business and the pub became their first purchase of an Andover public house in 1954.

It was the last of Andover’s free houses.

Now, 60 years later, they sadly wish to offload what is one of the most charming and historical old buildings still standing in Andover.

John Porter, Millway Road, Andover.