WHEN Mrs Gwyneth Pilling, of Valley Mill, Eagley, brought this picture in to me, I was a little nonplussed (a regular occurrence with me, as most of you know) as to its identity.

Mrs Pilling had found it in her late husband Marshall's effects, and not knowing any details -- apart from on the back it said "May, 1935" -- thought it was of the old Evening News' office in Mealhouse Lane, because on the front it had "Tillotsons" printed on it.

I knew immediately that it wasn't of that building, and the "Tillotsons" was in fact the name of the owners of the Evening News at that time, and it was one of the paper's photographers who had taken the picture.

However, it didn't take long for identification to dawn on me, with help from other photographs in our files.

It is, in fact - and quite obvious when realised - of Westhoughton Town Hall, decorated for the Silver Jubilee of George V.

Incidentally, Mr Pilling was chairman of Acdo, the well-known local company, and their son Brandon now holds the same position.