There must be many readers who can recall Baldock’s the tobacconist at 71 High Street. On the opposite side of the street from Marks and Spencer’s, it briefly escaped demolition when the Chantry Centre was built in 1969 but was among a short line of shops that were replaced by modern buildings in the mid-1970s. Up to the last it remained an old-fashioned tobacconist and confectioners, with a diverse assortment of other goods as well. Here, for instance, there are bunches of walking sticks hanging up beside the shop door, although the main window is predominantly tobacco products. Inside was the layout of a typical small shop – an extensive L-shaped counter top and the walls lined with shelves, filled with stock, including some old stone tobacco jars that must have been there since the shop opened. Browsing was not an option; the shopkeeper was there to serve.