ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO — 13 APRIL 1894

WHITCHURCH — MUTUAL IMPROVEMENT SOCIETY

The closing meeting of this society was held on Monday evening in the Wesleyan Schoolroom. The meeting was very largely attended owing no doubt to the fact of the young ladies of the society having entire charge of the meeting. The programme consisted of duets, songs, readings and recitations, all of which were given in a very hearty manner. After some refreshment an instructive and amusing dialogue, entitled “Dame Sloth and her Children,” was rendered with good effect. The chair was taken by Miss Beatrice Barnett, who conducted the meeting with great success, and at the close Mr.King proposed a vote of thanks to the ladies, which was seconded by Mr.Uwins and carried amidst hearty applause.

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO — 11 APRIL 1919

NOTICE

HOLMES & SONS

Wish to notify their customer that

Stationery, Book and Fancy Goods Departments

WILL BE CLOSED

From THURSDAY, April 18, to TUESDAY, April 22.

For Painting, Decorating, &c.

10, HIGH STREET, ANDOVER.

Compiler’s note: Holmes & Sons were the proprietors of the Andover Advertiser shortly after it started in 1858 and 10 High Street was the location of the offices and printing works of the newspaper too, from the start and remained as the ‘paper’s location until the 1980s.

SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO — 14 APRIL 1944

TANGLEY — PARISH COUNCIL

The annual meeting of the Parish Council was held at Hatherden on April 5, when the following councillors were present: Col.Ferrand, Messrs.Lovell, Edwards and Hallett, Apologies were received from Messrs.Wilson and Goodall. —Col.Ferrand was unanimously re-elected Chairman for the ensuing year. —The question of electricity being made available for the parishioners was considered, and it was pointed out that this parish was the only one in the Andover Rural District where it was not installed. —It was unanimously decided to ask the Electricity Authorities to install electricity in the parish at the earliest opportunity, and to ask the Rural District Council to support the application. —It was also decided to ask the Rural District Council to consider the question of water supply in the parish, as the Parish Council are of the opinion that a piped water supply is urgently necessary.

FIFTY YEARS AGO — 11 APRIL 1969

MYLEN ROAD RESIDENTS OPPOSE HOUSING OF GIPSY FAMILY

Proposals to house a gipsy family in Mylen Road have net with bitter opposition from both private householders and council tenants in the road.

Twenty-four signatories collected by Mrs.E----- H--- of --, Mylen Road were sent to Mr.E.C.Kimpton, the Housing Manager, this week on a petition protesting against the decision.

But Mr.Kimpton said on Wednesday: “This petition has had no effect at all. I have written to the people concerned pointing out that the Race Relations Act makes it an offence to incite anybody to discriminate against these people.

“We have two gipsy families left to house. They are families who are indigenous to Andover and have been living together on a caravan site under the care of the County Welfare Department. We have two houses in Old Down two in Mylen Road so there is a possibility that one family will be housed in Mylen Road.”

He added that two families had already been housed at Old Down.

The two empty council houses in Mylen Road are numbers -- and --. Number -- has been recently decorated and is nearly ready for occupation.

Mrs.H---, who lives in the council house next door said: “I am very bitter about this because I have lived here for 41 years. Although they may be very nice people, they might damage our property.

“Everyone else in the road is against it because it will devalue their property. Number -- is very nicely decorated and I think it would be a pity if they were put there — I feel that they should all be housed together somewhere.”

Mrs.L.C----, who lives in a privately owned house opposite Mrs.H--- said: “Of course I am against a gipsy family moving in — this will devalue our property. My husband has signed the petition.”

Private householder, Mr.J.S--- said: “We don’t want the gipsies here — they are a rough lot.” He had signed the petition.

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO — 15 APRIL 1994

GUILDHALL ARTS CENTRE PROPOSAL

Exciting plans to make Andover Guildhall a more important centre in the town are in the first tentative stages of discussion.

One ambitious proposal is that the listed building, now undergoing repair work costing thousands of pounds, could be an arts and conference centre.

But some borough councillors oppose the suggestions as ‘selling space which could lead to the sale of the Guildhall.’

Their opposition was sparked off at this week’s council policy meeting when approval was given for personnel meetings to move to Beech Hurst, the council HQ. Liberal Democrat, David Metcalf, commented: “We would view with suspicion any further moves to re-locate meetings to Beech Hurst because that means, we feel, there are firm plans for the upper room in the Guildhall.”

The impetus for possible change has come from leisure committee members headed by Andover member Ian Carr, who wants a ‘new lease of life’ for the Guildhall.

“We are looking at ways of making it more widely available for use by the public,” he said.

“Upstairs is super, but only ever seen by a few people and only used for occasional council meetings.

“We would like to see the building made more accessible and more widely used. There are no problems with the ground floor, that is well used by the community.”