There was no date or stamp on the card, so I relied on the visual evidence, the most important of which related to reference in the 1941 Commercial Directory of the Singer Sewing Machine Co. shop at 16 Manchester Road.

The same business was not present at that address in the edition published four years later, so I made the assumption the photo, upon which the card was based, was taken between those dates.

A number of you, most having much longer memories than my own, have contacted me since saying the picture is more likely to have been taken in the late 1930s, just before the Second World War.

Several reasons have been given, mostly to do with the impact of war regulations on vehicles, including buses.

However, another explanation might be found in the 1941 directory, which was compiled during the war and, alone among Barrett's Directories, appears to have been completed in a rush, in that parts of the publication were not printed in alphabetical order as was the case with all other editions.

If Singer's had closed in 1940, for instance, it is possible its departure from Burnley went unrecorded, at least by Barrett's, until 1945.

I am always pleased to receive comments from readers, but it is not always possible, given the format of the series, for me to mention them in the Express. I would like to make my articles more interactive, but this is difficult when the image I publish changes every week.

That said, I do have another picture of the same part of Manchester Road as that published a month ago.

I do not think I have used today's image before as I was concerned it might be too dark to see clearly when printed.

However, access to a new printer has convinced me the photo will print well enough for our purposes. You will forgive me if, yet again, I am not able to be precise about a date. There is no date or stamp on the card, but the lack of motorised vehicles would indicate the picture is early rather than later.

As the tram lines in Manchester Road were constructed in 1904, we can be sure the image was taken after then.

Other things in the picture confirm that date – the large collars being worn by the boys in the centre of the picture constitute one of them.

The darkness on the left of the picture is caused by the shadow cast by the buildings there. On the right, you can see the awnings are out and there is plenty of sunshine. If we examine the picture, you will notice it was taken slightly further up Manchester Road than the one published a month ago.

On the right, the New Red Lion, now the Big Window, has been omitted, but we can see the row of property of which it was a part more clearly than in the other picture.

I realise several people have undertaken studies of Burnley shops and shopping, but much remains to be done. The first shop we see, number 15 and 17 Manchester Road, was run by Peter Lyon Nicholl as P.L. Nicholl Ltd.

The firm was described as "silk mercers, drapers and mantle makers" and also had premises at 27 Manchester Road, 85a St James's Street and in Chancery Street. It must have been a profitable business as Mr Nicholl lived at Healey Grange in Rosehill Road.

When today's photo was taken, James Bulcock Ltd, the ironmongers, was at number 19 and Miss M. A. Bates, a milliner, was at number 21.

However, you may be able to see the name of the next business J. Bowker because of the size of the sign. Many of the older readers will remember the firm James Bowker, which was founded as tobacconists.

In 1914, the next building, the one with the bay window at first floor level, was occupied by the Yorkshire Penny Bank, although that cannot be confirmed in today's picture. Number 23, together with number 21, was demolished when the present bank buildings were erected in Portland stone in 1924.

Across Hargreaves Street you will be able to see the letters "J.M." on the first building in the row which accommodated the Church Institute. The letters refer to John Mackenzie Cunningham, who was a watchmaker, jeweller and optician.

The business had previously occupied 27 Manchester Road, but in 1914 the address given was 2a Hargreaves Street. If you look carefully you will notice the advertising board on the corner of this shop contains the image of a pair of glasses.

On the left hand side it is more difficult to determine individual businesses, but the first must refer to Shee & Kennedy, the tailors. You might be able to make out the word "tailor" high above the first shop window.

Other firms have been mentioned in articles I have written on this part of town, but I do not think I have reminded readers of Burnley's most well-known stores of the past.

If you look carefully you might be able to make out a "Sale" sign on the first shop on the second row of properties on the left of the picture. This was 36 Manchester Road and many of you will recall Jay's, the furnishers, at this address. Many years before, the firm of Robert Smith Bardsley, costumier, milliner, ladies and gents' outfitters, had a presence there.

You will, hopefully, be able to see part of the Bardsley name on the "Sale" poster and the "y" of the surname high up on what is visible of the Grimshaw Street elevation. Above Bardsley's, at numbers 38 and 40 Manchester Road, was the large book shop of Lupton Bros.

I think there were originally two brothers, Joseph Townend Lupton and Arthur Lupton, as the firm was known as J. & A. Lupton in its early days. At that time it was situated lower down Manchester Road, at number 28, and I am not sure when the move was made to 38 and 40.

These days we do not think of Burnley as a town where a wide range of reading material can be purchased, but in 1914 there were 79 such businesses! Quite remarkable.