A timeline from The News leaving Stanhope Road to Hilsea

After The Evening News, as it was then, moved out of Stanhope Road in the city centre in 1969, to its new, purpose-built headquarters, it marked the beginning of a new era for the paper.

Work began a couple of years earlier when local architects AE Cogswell & Sons designed the new building, featuring a set of sculptural relief panels by artist William Mitchell that ran around the outside of the printing hall.

In 1982, £11m plans to develop The News Centre were announced, intending to provide cutting-edge equipment across all of its departments.

The extension was officially opened the following year by Kenelm Storey, son of the former chairman.

In 1999, with Douglas Hickson now long-since retired, Portsmouth and Sunderland Newspapers Limited sold The News to Johnston Press.

In June 2013, it was the end of another era, as The News’ editorial, advertising, newspaper sales, finance, IT, and front counter staff all moved to new offices based in Lakeside, North Harbour.

The papers continued being printed on-site at the press, but mooted plans to convert the empty office building into a business park or housing came to nothing.

DMG Media took over the operation of the printing press in October 2020, but decided to close it down less than two years later in July 2022 as part of wider ‘consolidation’ plans.

The site was sold to First Bus Group in March 2023, which begins demolishing the old centre and print hall in October.

They intended it to be a depot for their new fleet of electric buses, which is currently planned to open around mid-2025.