Let me explain. Most of the postcards and photos published in this column are of subjects I already know quite a lot about, but occasionally a picture comes into my possession which triggers a memory or causes me to think about related matters. This card falls into the first category.

Littlewood, the name over the shop in today's picture, was the trigger. Many of you more senior readers may remember Littlewood's had a store in the short row of property at the corner of Boot Street (now Boot Way) and Parker Lane. I wondered if the business in the postcard I publish today had any connection with the firm I remember?

As I recall, the Littlewood's premises in Parker Lane was in the same line of business as that in the shop shown here, which, as you can see, was at 40 St James's Street. I thought of Littlewood's, who in my time also had stores at 174 Colne Road, Burnley, and at 4 Market Square, Nelson, as a pet shop. In the picture, the firm is described as "corn and seed dealers", but the merest inspection will confirm that in 1905 (the date of the postmark) Littlewood's sold both Spratt's dog and puppy biscuits and Melox dog food.

You will notice the name over the premises is "T. Littlewood". It could be one of the men in the picture is Mr Littlewood himself, but who was he and was there a connection between the shop at 40 St James's Street and the one in Parker Lane?

I have tried to find Mr Littlewood in the 1901 census, but without success. I have though come across a Tom Littlewood at 8 Dane Street, who was a "shopman" in 1899. Dane Street still survives in, as you might expect, the Daneshouse district, but I cannot be sure this Tom Littlewood is our man.

What I can say is that by 1902 a Tom Littlewood had opened a business as a corn dealer at 9 Bridge Street, Burnley, although he lived at 14 Linden Street, which is off Lyndhurst Road.

At that time 40 St James's Street, was occupied by Henry Eastwood, the printer and stationer, who had continued the well known business, in the same line, of Waddington's.

When we get to 1905, the year of the postmark on the card from which today's image is taken, we find 40 St James's Street was indeed occupied by Tom Littlewood, a corn dealer who was still resident at Linden Street. However, it is at this point that a little confusion enters the story because the street index for 1905 lists Mr T. Litherland, described as a corn dealer, at number 40.

I think this is a mistake by the compiler of the 1905 Commercial Directory. There was a Litherland, only indicated by the initial M., who was a picture framer at 12 St James's Street, but in the list of corn and flour dealers, also of 1905, Tom Littlewood is the occupant of 40 St James's Street. In fact, he was one of five corn and flour dealers in town – Hargreaves's at 9-13 Church Street; Maden's at 7-9 Red Lion Street; Smith's at 1 Robinson Street; and Taylor's at 77 Hufling Lane were the others.

The part of St James's Street where Tom Littlewood had his shop has featured before in this column. It is the block of property between the White Lion and the Swan Hotel, which also used to include the famed Clock Face Inn. What used to be called Liverpool House occupies the site now, but the photo I used before resolves two little problems which appear on today's picture.

I am referring, firstly, to the pole which can be seen above the "e" of Littlewood. It is clear, from my other picture, this is a flag pole – the Clock Face has one, as does the Swan and the Bull, at the bottom of Manchester Road, has another.

The second problem is to do with the Spratt's advert on the right. You will be able to see the top of the advert cuts across part of the name board. The photo I have previously used shows the signs to the right and the left on the shop are set at an angle, which makes it possible for them to be read from both higher up and lower down St James's Street.

When we get to 1908 Tom Littlewood is still in business at 40 St James's Street, although he had moved house to 75 Church Street, opposite the parish church, and lived there with his wife, Mary E. Littlewood. In 1911, Mary E. Littlewood was in business at 40 St James's Street and it can be supposed Tom had died.

However, the answer to my initial concern – the connection between the Littlewood's of Parker Lane and St James's Street – is resolved if we look at the 1914 Commercial Directory. Mary E. Littlewood is still listed, but she had moved both house and shop. The former was then at 4 Shorey Bank, off Ormerod Road, but the business had been moved to 4 Parker Lane.

So there we have it – the "pet shop" I remember as a boy was connected to the business shown in today's picture. Tom Littlewood was the founder of what was, in its day, a successful local business.

If you have an interest in the shops of St James's Street, Burnley, you might like to know the Ladies' Circle at Haggate Baptist Church has invited Mr Ken Hare to talk to them about "The Shops In St James's Street" at its meeting in church on Tuesday, May 27th, at 7-30 p.m. All ladies welcome.