ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO — 16 JUNE 1893

CURRENTE CALAMO

Complaint has been made more than once of the filthy expressions used by the loafers at street corners in Andover, and personal experience tells us there are grounds for complaint; but what is heard in town is nothing like so shocking as the flood of filthiness that issues from the mouths of some of the lads in the villages. We could point to villages in this locality where it is the most common thing to hear lads embellish their conversation with oaths and filthy expressions and to shout them when engaged in play, and that with so much unconcern that we are led to believe they repeat but parrot cries, without knowing the meaning of what they say, and without seeing in them anything offensive. If schoolmasters could check this growing habit they would be conferring a favour on the community at large; but so long as there are parents who take their children’s part, and put the law in motion when a child has been checked in the commission of an offence, there will be few to play a good citizen’s part be he schoolmaster or anything else. Our sympathies are entirely with Mr.Reynolds, and we can only wonder that the lad’s guardians did not tender him their warmest thanks rather than serve him with a summons.

Compiler’s note: In this same column there was a long report regarding a schoolmaster of Wherwell, Mr Reynolds, who at the county magistrates, was charged with assault on a schoolboy ‘consisting of chastisement’ … ‘out of school hours and away from the school premises’. The schoolmaster admitted ‘a technical assault’ and was given a nominal fine.

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO — 14 JUNE 1918

CORRESPONDENCE — SOLDIERS OR FISH

Dear Sir,—I am wondering if we could prevail on two or three of the owners of the fishing rights below Andover to spend some time in the Weyhill Road and Bridge Street to notice the continual cloud of dust rising, occasioned by the heavy traffic on these thoroughfares. If they thought of the numbers of soldiers and civilians constantly passing up and down, and see many suffering from dust throat, I feel sure that they would at once withdraw their objection to having the roads tarred. I am told by experts that the tar now used does not affect the fish.—Thanking you in anticipation, I am, yours truly, A RESIDENT.

SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO — 18 JUNE 1943

CORRESPONDENCE — FARMERS’ APPEAL

Sir,—I would be grateful if you would allow me, through the courtesy of your paper, to appeal to the owners and occupiers of country estates and houses to release their gardeners, keepers, chauffeurs, and grooms to the nearest farmers, who may want help to bring in this year’s hay and corn harvest.

The prospects for harvest are again excellent, and these men, many of them experienced in agricultural work, would be a mainstay amongst the mass of inexperienced, though very willing, helpers we have on farms today.—Yours,

R.P.BLACKADDER, Chairman Andover N.F.U.

FIFTY YEARS AGO — 14 JUNE 1968

NEW DISTRIBUTOR ROAD SHOULD RELIEVE TOWN CONGESTION

The most important road to be built in Andover this decade was opened to traffic on Wednesday morning. It is the northern distributor road which runs from the Folly Inn, Charlton Road, across the marshland to New Street.

The new road will ease the tremendous traffic congestion in the centre of the town during the busy summer period.

The next and final stage of the scheme — on which work has already started — will consist of a road stretching from the new roundabout at the Folly Inn, across the old railway line to the level crossing in Bridge Street.

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO — 18 JUNE 1993

BID TO CONTROL SOLSTICE RAVERS

A special police unit is monitoring the influx of new age travellers arriving in the Andover area for the summer solstice in a bid to control their numbers and avoid trouble.

Around 100 travellers in 50 cars and 15 caravans have congregated in five sites around the area including camps in Weyhill Gallops, Broughton Reservoir, Grateley Station and Chilbolton Down.

A four-mile exclusion zone around Stonehenge came into effect last night to prevent any solstice sunrise gatherings at the ancient monument.

The exclusion zone will be in force until after the solstice.

TEN YEARS AGO — 13 JUNE 2008

TESCO REVEALS MEGASHED’S LOWEST PAID PACKAGE — £24,000 pa

Supermarket giant Tesco, which wants to build a massive warehouse dubbed the megashed on Andover Airfield, is promising a minimum pay package of more than £24,000 a year — if it gets the planning go-ahead.

The company is also guaranteeing an interview to any unemployed person in the Andover area.

Initially Tesco promises 900 jobs will be on offer, but this is expected to rise to 1,200 as the distribution centre reaches capacity.

Tesco corporate affairs manager Juliette Bishop said: “We always aim to recruit locally and we can guarantee anyone without a job in Andover who applies will be given a job interview for the new distribution centre, should planning consent be granted.

“We are also aware that a number of jobs have been lost from companies in the town, including Office Depot.

“If the Andover Airfield development goes ahead, anyone who has lost their job at one of these companies in the time up to the distribution centre opening will also have a guaranteed interview with us.”

The offer comes as the firm launched its dedicated ‘Jobs Website’ for potential employees to register on tescoandoverjobs-.co.uk [sic].

The website gives details of the sort of jobs available and the salaries employees could expect to earn.

The lowest paid worker, a warehouse operative (days), will earn a minimum of £19,245 per annum rising to £21,866 plus a discount card of £800 and ‘shares in success’, pension and overtime of between £4,171 and £4,738 producing a package worth between £24,216 and £27,404.