Firstly, note the mighty bend just above the King's Cafe on a road that, during the 1960s, had seen more fatalities in traffic accidents than in any other part of East Lancashire.

By the end of 1969, dozens of shops and buildings had been demolished and the road widened and levelled to make it safer by far from the former "Death bend corner" as it was known.

See the long-standing King's Cafe, founded in 1902 by William King of 33 Primet Bridge. This was always an excellent eating house - I can remember calling into the cosy cafe on my way home from Primet Secondary School back in the 1950s for a frothy coffee and an ice bun from the cheery owner, Mrs Palfrey.

A little higher up at No. 21 Primet Bridge was the high-class baker and confectioner, William Henry Oddie, founded in the year 1905 and indeed, William is listed in Barrett's directory for that very year (of which a set of these excellent volumes were kindly presented to me recently by the affable Mrs Hilda Hartley from her late husband Denis's collection).
Alongside W.H. Oddie in the Edwardian list of confectioners are Caleb Duckworth of Cloth Hall, John Kippax of the Market Hall and Luke Lund and Sons of Cross Street.

In 1914, William transferred his baking operation to 325 Leeds Road, Nelson, and today, over a century in business, the company is run by the convivial former cricketer of note, Bill Oddie, who also has premises at 129 Scotland Road, Nelson, 10 Market Street, Colne, 38 Colne Road, Brierfield, plus 10 other shops in Burnley, Padiham, Accrington and Blackburn. From humble beginnings to a bakery empire, a truly remarkable local success story.