THIS week's page is with thanks to David Miller who provided the images you see here.

His father, David Miller Snr, was the chief press photographer at the Hants and Berks Gazette in the 1950s.

On January 5, 1878, the first edition of the Hants and Berks Gazette, as it was to be known for many years, rolled off the presses.

It was in Devon that co-founder John Bird trained as a printer and began to flourish as an astute businessman.

However, the son of a Somerset coalman was not content with staying put in Devon.

He looked at a map and, even in those bygone days, saw the potential of Basingstoke.

Strategically positioned in terms of communications to Reading, Southampton and London, Basingstoke was in a prime spot and John thought - quite rightly, it transpired - that it was an ideal place to set up a family business.

So it was that John and his brother Sidney bought an old stationer's shop in Church Street and opened their printing business.

The Gazette moved to its present headquarters in Pelton Road, Houndmills, in 1975.

The man to the right of the desk laying out the print in a greyish shirt is Dave Trebbett who sadly passed away this year.

David Miller Snr is in the second picture modelling the latest technology for the 1950 as he was their press photographer. He passed away around 15 years ago now.

Dave was known as as Treb and Davi as Mogul.

Next week I have photos of the current Gazette offices and how things have changed over the years.