A SUPERB postcard from David Howard's collection showing Sydney Bell's house at 15 London Street from 1905 has been unearthed.

The postcard shows the house and its adjacent premises, called the Andover Building Works.

It stood one house up from Frederick Ellen’s estate agency, the building that is still there today, with the sundial on the front wall.

Sydney himself is standing to the left of the group of three by the railings.

The man standing on the balcony and the other two men next to Sydney are likely his brothers William, James and Emmanuel who were all connected with the building trade in Andover.

Beyond are the various workmen, together with a row of terra-cotta chimneys.

The family came from Hedge End in south Hampshire.

The censuses for 1871 and 1881 show carpenter George Bell and his wife Eliza had 11 children, nine of whom were sons; most of these were to eventually go into building business.

By 1891 we can find plasterer Sydney as the householder of 12 Winchester Street, Andover, with his wife Frances and two young children, together with three of his brothers as boarders — James, a plasterer; Emmanuel, a carpenter’s apprentice, and William, another plasterer.

Initially, all of them may have been employed by Grace and Sons of Clatford; there is a photograph in Cyril Berry’s Old Andover, dated 1892, showing at least three Bell brothers engaged in building Clatford Mills, although the well-dressed Sydney no longer looks like a working plasterer.

During the 1890s, Sydney prospered, was elected to the town council in 1900, and moved to 15 London Street where he added the balcony and bay windows to what had been a conventional flat-fronted house.

His builder’s sign above the works includes the words, ‘Baths, Hot and Cold Water Services Laid On, Drains Tested and Reported Upon, All Kinds of Sanitary Ware Supplied’.

There was a good deal of housebuilding going on in Andover during this period, particularly in Old Winton Road, Millway Road, Marlborough Street and the Victoria Park estate.

The latter was laid out at the time of Queen Victoria’s 1887 jubilee —  Osborne, Balmoral and Windsor Roads, as well as Queen’s Avenue, all having a royal theme.

Sydney Bell built houses in all these locations.

A particular busy time was in 1900-01 with cottages in Balmoral Road, a stable and coach house at Cold Harbour, a cottage at Anton Road, three cottages and a house at Millway Road, a pair at Queen’s Avenue, an entrance lodge at Bere Hill and a pair of semi-detached houses in Old Winton Road.

As well as Andover, he started a business at Ludgershall, building much of Bell Street there.

Back in Andover, Hedge End Road is named after the place from which the Bell family originated.

However, contract losses, lack of capital and legal costs caused Sydney Bell to go bankrupt in 1907.

The business was reconstructed as Bell and Co, with brother William taking a more dominant role.

However, Sydney did recover his reputation and returned to the council after some years’ absence.

He was elected mayor of Andover in 1923 but sadly died in office on 12 July 1924, aged 60.

The main part of the house at 15 London Street was a private address for many years subsequent to Sydney’s death, but in the 1950s it became the Southern Echo office until the Echo built new premises there in the 1960s.

The works annexe site became two shops.

Many may remember Burgo’s pet shop in the first of these two shops during the 1970s.