The recent Flashback (February 20) on Burberry was interesting, but somehow these articles by the Hampshire Cultural Trust lack a connection to the Basingstoke of today.
One of the photos showed the Burberry showroom, but might have pointed out that this building not only survives next to Deanes Almshouses in London Street, but has a blue plaque on it.
The article mentions the Winchester Street store, rebuilt by Burberry after the 1905 fire but fails to point out that it’s still here as well, now home to the British Heart Foundation.
The headline calls Burberry a ‘Basingstoke Boy’ but he came to the town as a young adult from Betchworth, Surrey, with enough money to open several retail premises.
I do welcome the new Flashback articles but in a town which has had as much change and alteration as ours, many readers will need a bit more help to locate these sites.
Debbie Reavell, Basingstoke Heritage Society
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