ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO — 22 JUNE 1894

ADVERTISEMENT

IMPORTANT TO EMIGRANTS!

IMMENSE REDUCTION IN FARES.

To NEW YORK (via SOUTHAMPTON)

£2 10 0,

To NEW YORK, BOSTON or PHILADELPHIA (via LIVERPOOL),

£3 0 0

WITH FREE RAIL TICKETS.

Apply for Tickets and dates of Sailing at once to

JOHN GALE,

District Agent to the American Line,

Also Agent for the “Castle” and “Orient” Lines.

Holly Villa, Andover.

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO — 20 JUNE 1919

A PHENOMENON

A correspondent asks us to publish a rare occurrence which happened in Vigo Road a week ago last Tuesday, and which he could not write us about before as he had been a victim amongst the several mild cases of shock which it caused. He says the borough water cart was actually seen in the road in the evening of that day distributing water! People who were about stood aghast at the wonderful sight, and one man who tried to cheer lost his voice for a week; while the oldest inhabitant when approached could not carry his mind back to the time when such a thing had happened before. Our correspondent concludes by saying the event had not been repeated up to the time of writing.

SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO — 23 JUNE 1944

LET THEM PASS!

To help the vital invasion reinforcements of men and material the Government is urging cyclists and drivers of slow vehicles on the roads of this country to keep well to the left while the military convoys go by.

FIFTY YEARS AGO — 20 JUNE 1969

ALL IS READY FOR THE SWITCH TO STD

On Wednesday afternoon the Mayor of Andover, Councillor Mrs.Anne Thorne, will open the new Subscriber Trunk Dialling system, which introduces a new era in telephone equipment built to match the dramatic population expansion in the town. S.T.D. means that nearly 1,700 exchanges all over the country can be dialled direct from Andover. Charges are made for the time used. In off-peak hours calls to any town over 35 miles away from Andover will only cost twopence for 30 seconds. Off-peak local calls will be twopence for 60 seconds, S.T.D. is a far cry from the old days. Now nearly 4,000 subscribers will be connected automatically and expansions to the subscriber equipment cater for up to 6,200 lines.

Sixty years ago the telephone exchange belonging to the National Telephone Company was at 71 High Street. There were about 100 subscribers at Andover served by an old type magneto switchboard. In 1912 the Post Office took over the service and two years later opened a central battery signalling system in the then new Post Office. This enabled two operators to work simultaneously.

This exchange lasted until 1926 when a central battery with four operator positions was introduced. There were then nearly 200 subscribers.

Lack of space forced the exchange to move from Bridge Street in 1940 to the present site in Suffolk Road. This automatic exchange could provide 1,000 lines and eleven operating positions. At the time of opening there were 630 subscribers. By 1950 the total had grown to 959 and in 1960 it was 1,550.

The rapid growth rate of Andover has called for a lot more telephones in the town. Whereas it took 14 years, from 1951 to 1965 for a 1,000 increase a similar demand was achieved in the four years 1965-69. There are now 89 staff at the Andover exchange with 34 of those on nights.

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO — 24 JUNE 1994

SUPERSTORE THREAT TO COMMUNITY CLAIM VILLAGERS

David took on Goliath this week as Charlton parish councillors fought back against the Safeway proposal for a giant superstore on the outskirts of their village.

The appeal hearing was told by councillor Mrs Judy Steele that Safeway could not have chosen a worse site for its proposed new supermarket, being only a few hundred metres from the village centre.

Outlining the threat to the future of Charlton and its amenities, Mrs Steele said: “The village is not an integral part of Andover, but rather a distinct community in its own right.

“The village shop and post office provide a vital service to the inhabitants of Charlton, particularly those who do not have their own transport.”

Not only would a supermarket by the Goch Way roundabout destroy village life as it is at present, said Mrs Steele, but increased traffic caused by shoppers would stretch its already overloaded roads to the limit.

TEN YEARS AGO — 19 JUNE 2009

HISTORIC COTTAGE MOVES WITH TIMES

After 450 years in one place Ford Cottage has a new lease of life in a new location in Andover, next door to St Mary’s Church.

The historic building was been painstakingly dismantled and catalogued by Romsey firm I W Payne and then re-erected on the new site using about 80 per cent of the original beams to create the structure.

The building, which is grade II listed and also goes by the name of Chantry Cottage – although it is now in High Street – has four bedrooms and is now up for sale for £425,000.

Andover’s History and Archaeological Society’s new chairman John Barrell applauded the work.