Tale of two dogs and a street of terraced Portsmouth houses… but where? | Nostalgia

I am putting together another book of then and now photographs of the city and I would dearly love to know where the street on the right is, or was.
All that is written on the back of this photograph is ‘A Portsmouth street'. Does anyone recognise it?All that is written on the back of this photograph is ‘A Portsmouth street'. Does anyone recognise it?
All that is written on the back of this photograph is ‘A Portsmouth street'. Does anyone recognise it?

The only clue I have is that on the reverse it tells me it is a Portsmouth street.

If you have the vaguest idea where it was, then please let me know. Thank you.

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• The chances of seeing a store in Agincourt Road, Buckland, Portsmouth, today are practically nil but at one time it was a little different.

A grocer's shop in Agincourt Road, Buckland, Portsmouth, in 1929 with a trestle table loaded with vegetables and a dog on guard.A grocer's shop in Agincourt Road, Buckland, Portsmouth, in 1929 with a trestle table loaded with vegetables and a dog on guard.
A grocer's shop in Agincourt Road, Buckland, Portsmouth, in 1929 with a trestle table loaded with vegetables and a dog on guard.

There is no name available for this grocer’s shop, photographed in 1929, although at number 90, there was a store once run by a Dennis Gibbs.

The plate enamel sign states Players Please now a long forbidden sign since the ban on cigarette advertising.

On the trestle table is a selection of vegetables with a rather sad looking dog on guard perhaps.

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Who the tot in the doorway wearing white socks and sandals is perhaps we’ll never know. Unless of course, you know differently.

Bob Hind's late German shepherd, Duncan (Duncandoons).Bob Hind's late German shepherd, Duncan (Duncandoons).
Bob Hind's late German shepherd, Duncan (Duncandoons).

• There has been news in the nation’s newspapers of late telling of the comedian Miranda Hart’s heartache at losing her beloved dog Peggy.

As we all know, losing a pet can be devastating, like losing a member of the family.

Fifteen years ago I lost my German shepherd Duncan, aka Duncandoons. He was amazing. To me, and the many who knew him, he was, to put it bluntly, the business.

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When someone knocked on the front door, Duncan waited on the stairs to greet them. If it was someone I didn’t know I would stand to one side so they could see him, just to let them know he was watching.

I believe he would have also made a great police dog. You see, I trained him to follow a trail.

I would take him to a wood and ask a pal to have an old sock with him and then give it to me. My friend would then go into hiding a couple of hundred yards away. I would let Duncan sniff the sock and tell him to ‘seek!’. Within seconds he was on the trail and always found the person in no time. Quite brilliant.

Although we lost Duncan some time ago he is still mentioned every day by someone or other and still so greatly missed.

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• The January 7 photograph of North End lit up for Christmas reminded Richard Newman, of Drayton, of the time a trolleybus was turning right from London Road into Kingston Crescent but the overhead trolleys wanted to go straight on.

The trolley came off the wires, hit the electrics controlling the decorations and illuminated Christmas trees and plunged half of North End into darkness. Anyone else remember it?

A message from the editor, Mark Waldron. You can subscribe here for unlimited access to Portsmouth news online - as well as fewer adverts, access to our digital edition and mobile app. Our trial offer starts at just £2 a month for the first two months.

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