Hewitts History Files

Take this selection for instance '“ mystery photos from a tatty brown cardboard box that has nestled in the West Sussex Gazette archives for a little while now.

The box was entrusted to us a few years back by Chichester City Council and is indeed full of treasures.

But sadly, it isn't full of captions.

The pictures tell you a great deal about fashions, offering fascinating little glimpses into ways of life long since gone.

But the whos, the whys, the wheres and the whens are generally lacking.

Take the image of the formal dinner, with tables beautifully laid, dickie bows in place, posh frocks in abundance.

But just what was happening and where is a mystery. 1950s would be a good guess, Chichester would seem likely as the city, and one might also assume a civic occasion.

But beyond that does anyone one? We'd love to be enlightened.

For full feature and several of the mystery pictures, see West Sussex Gazette April 2