More than half a century has passed since a photographer secured this dinner-hour picture of Rushden High Street on a sunny summer’s day, but one has to look closely before appreciating the extent to which the street had changed. The most obvious changes are in the people and the carriageway. In the old days, boot workers sauntered along in caps, mufflers and aprons. Many of them, along with school children and the woman with the pram, ambled easily in the middle of the road with never a fear that some motor-propelled vehicle would come along to scatter them. The pavements were high, but the general outline of the buildings was surprisingly similar to that of today. Looking closely, however, we observe the good repair of Succoth Chapel (not so good nowadays) and the jutting-out wall of The Cottage, with large overhanging trees.