This uncommon view of London Street, taken about 1930, shows several buildings that are standing today, though the foreground has been replaced by Eastern Avenue which cuts right through the street.

From the mid-18th century onwards, London Street was part of the busy turnpike road from London to Exeter, right up until 1969 when the Andover bypass was built.

The bypass took the traffic away from the town centre, while the construction of Eastern Avenue some years later reduced London Street to a cul-de-sac and virtual backwater.

The car is parked outside G Stevens’ newsagent but in 1911 – prior to becoming a shop - it was home to Charles Jennings Wood, the first proprietor of the Electric Picture Hall in West Street which had opened that year. A few years later it was the dairy of the Langdown brothers.

Stevens had gone by the outbreak of war in 1939 and Yvonne and Elaine’s sweet shop replaced before becoming Mitchell’s greengrocery and then another greengrocer’s under Spanswick and Dugan during the early 1960s.

Subsequently, Brock’s the saddlers occupied the shop for a short period and I seem to remember a charity shop there during the shop’s last gasp during the mid-70s.

Next door can be seen the alleyway that led to the smithy. It was soon to be occupied by Sam Pearman but in 1930 the smith was Ernest Cooper who had been there since before the First World War.

The house by the telegraph post was a doctors’ surgery under a succession of partnerships. The surgery eventually closed and some may remember Martin Smith had a book shop there during the 1980s.

The brick wall with pillars marks the entrance to Heath House, the main residence of the Quaker bankers and brewers of that name who figure frequently in Andover’s early-19th century history.

In the 20th century it was the home and surgery of Dr Ernest Farr, a founder of Andover’s War Memorial Hospital.

Dr Farr died in 1935 and the house was demolished in order to build the Savoy cinema.

The building still stands today and the sundial mounted on the wall at the rear, originally came from Heath House.

On the other side of the street, we can just see the petrol pumps of Halcrow’s garage.

In 1939, Septimus Halcrow was a garage proprietor and special constable with his two young sons Ted and Geoff as car mechanics.

As many local residents will know, the two boys later became funeral directors; elder brother Ted’s dry, black humour was often to be heard telling a sorry tale of his experiences in that particular business.

The large building farther down would have been Westfield House school in 1930, run by Miss M K Howard, a relative of the photographer, but it closed in 1936.

In the 1980s it became the Andover saleroom, presided over by Bob Herbert whose auction every other Monday, attracted a roomful of bidders and characters, some just there to listen to the banter coming from the rostrum.

As an antiques enthusiast, Bob happened to be among the crowd one day at an Amesbury auction when auctioneer Tom Hancock felt unwell during the sale.

Thinking he could help out, he mounted the rostrum, and a natural auctioneer was born, after which he never looked back.