With a new national lockdown announced for this week, we may expect to see scenes similar to this old image of an almost deserted Dorchester Road in Weymouth.

This photo, taken on a misty day, dates from the late 1950s.

The photo is taken from just north of the Spa pub and almost opposite the junction with Mercery Road by Skew Bridge.

Travellers heading into Weymouth would have noticed the interesting advertisement on the gable end of no 249 Dorchester Road.

It was painted in the late 1930s and shows the contemporary range of Vauxhall cars which could be purchased at Greenhill Garage.

The sign became rather faded and was painted out in the mid 1960s. Greenhill Garage closed some years later and after use as a tyre dealer the premises were demolished a few years ago and the site is now occupied by a block of flats.

The building on the left by the lorry was a public toilet which was on the forecourt of the Southern National bus garage.

The toilets were demolished in the early 1970s and the bus garage saw further use as a motor dealer and a furniture showroom.

The bus in the distance is passing the last of the tollhouses which was on the site of what is now the car park of Lidl’s store.

The tollhouse had been built in the 1850s and was demolished in about 1975 and the pavement on the east side of Dorchester Road was extended across the site.

It was a picturesque part of the street scene and Eric Ricketts commented in his book, the Buildings of Old Weymouth: “Such a building accorded to the entrance of our town that little touch of interest lacking elsewhere.”

"Was it not practicable to take the footpath to the east, form an entrance from the footpath, and use the place as a branch library for Radipole?

"No, the bulldozer is cheap, fast, and final."