LAST week we visited Lower Dock Street, in Newport, and had the following replies.

Dave Woolven, Newport:

From the cars, this photo dates from the 1960s and is Lower Dock Street.

On the left is the entrance to Mellon St, which joined George Street.

At the George Street end on the left hand side was Griffith’s clothing factory and opposite was Phillips & Sons stables.

On the right hand side of the photo is the Drill Hall, situated between Cross Lane and Caroline Street.

The Drill Hall was the headquarters of 83rd Welsh Field Brigade, Royal Artillery and the 329th Field Battery, Royal Artillery. In the background is the junction of Dock St and Kingsway. In the distance is the clock tower of the magnificent Town Hall, destroyed along with other fine Victorian buildings to make way for ghastly glass and concrete structures.

The cars appear to be two Ford Prefects, a Rover 90, a Morris Minor/1000 and possible an Austin A30/35 – from the days when Britain had a British car industry building British cars.

Haydn Davis, Newport:

The photographs in this week’s Now and Then were taken in Lower Dock Street, facing north.

The cameras were situated at the end of Mellon Street.

The building in the left foreground was the Old Ragged School built in 1863.

The later picture shows it refurbished and used as offices. It is a listed building and its blue plaque of antiquity can just be seen.

The building on the right was built in the 19th century in the style of a small castle and was once a drill hall.

Judging by the not-too-outdated models of the cars in the ‘then’ photo, and the presence of the old Town Hall in the background, I would say that it was taken not too long before the complete remodelling of the town centre.

The new multistorey car park in the ‘now’ photo shows that it is very recent.