SIR - The item ‘briefly windows’ caught my attention in the last issue of the Herald as I was once living there.

In February, when you published a report of Abbeyfield moving from All Saints Road and that the houses might be restored, I wrote that my grandmother, Mrs C Comer, ran No: 21 as a guest house until 1929, when she moved to 5 Peasland Road until l1931, when she moved to 6 Temple Street.

Until that time, the Milliners shop was a lockup with, as far as I know, no connection to the rest of the premises, but 6 Temple Street then covered the whole premises. I do not know why, when the street was renumbered, but 6 Temple Street became 12 and 14.

I see it is proposed to change four windows on the front elevation, which must be three on the first floor and the ground floor window at Number 12. All these are probably the originals.

I am not sure what restriction is on the front elevation, but I believe the book shop was there sometime after my uncle and aunt moved back to Peasland Road, could not change the shop front.

I am more concerned with the window at Number 12 if that has no protection as it is, I believe, the only one in the row of houses that have doors opening on to the street which has, immediately behind the glass sash windows, wooden sash shutters.

During the war these were useful in helping black out and also preventing glass being thrown into the room should a bomb fall in the vicinity.

I still have the heavy dining table under which we sheltered when the air raid alarm sounded, the cupboard under the stars being too small of all.

I would not like to know another bit of old Sidmouth housing had gone.

J A C Waller

392 Pinhoe Road, Exeter