THE year 1862 and before Tower Bridge and the Natural History Museum was built in London John Dicks opens up a gas fitting and brass finishers shop called J. Dick and Co at 5 Jewry Street in Winchester and it’s lavishly adorned with the latest gas fittings and chandeliers from London. The business grows swiftly as they offer gas fitting installation, wrought iron and lead work services. In 1863 Dicks illuminated the exterior some of the prominent buildings by gas light in the city like the Guildhall, Westgate, Market House and Queen Anne’s statue. By 1886 the business moved to 149 High Street as they had already acquired workshops in Silver Hill and by now were installing water systems into houses by putting pumps in their wells and piping the water into their homes. By the turn of the century John Dicks had died and his two sons Philip and John are now running the business and are installing telephones, speaking tubes in offices and designing and installing call alarm syste