Alan
Monday, March 19, 2007 18:56 |
Coronation tea photograph
Paul.
Thanks to Anne for the photo. I suppose that she has got her own back for the ungallant comment I made about age. I look just like Goofy.
The ladies on the back row, I should know, but I can only identify Maggie Crossley who is in between Mary Chadwick and Ida Birtwhistle.
Are there any more in the attic hidden away? This is one I have never seen before.
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Denis Pickles
Norfolk
Monday, March 19, 2007 21:03 |
Could it be Maud Allen, Brian Allen's mum? |
Alan
Tuesday, March 20, 2007 09:52 |
Could be, memory dims but I cannot remember Mrs. Allen with so much hair. Anne identifies her as Maud, and she was the only Maud in the area that I remember. The other lady I do not know. |
Anne Newman
Tuesday, March 20, 2007 11:51 |
Yes - it is Maud Allen (I'd forgotten her surname) - for some reason I have a photograph of her wedding - she must have been friendly with my grandmother I think. |
Christine Smith (Pickles)
Nathan Jack Productions
Tuesday, March 20, 2007 15:00 |
You have some query over who is 2nd from the right at the back. I am pretty sure it is Mrs Taylor - not sure about first name? She lived on Holly Bank in Sutton. |
Paul Wilkinson
webmaster
Tuesday, March 20, 2007 15:03 |
Thanks all for supplying/confirming the missing names, I've updated the caption. |
Christine Smith (Pickles)
Nathan Jack Productions
Tuesday, March 20, 2007 16:02 |
Does anyone know Mrs Taylor's first name, I cannot for the life in me remeber it? |
Anne Newman (Wigglesworth)
Friday, March 23, 2007 15:56 |
I can't remeber Mrs Taylor's name either (I couldn't remember her at all!) - and long time no speak!! |
Chrsitine
Nathan Jack Productions
Saturday, March 24, 2007 17:18 |
Yes too long! Nice to hear from you. |
Natalie Thackray
Sunday, March 25, 2007 12:34 |
The lady at the back on the far right (Mrs Mary Ann Spencer, nee Pullan) is my great great great auntie. It is lovely to be able to see a picture of her at last. Does any one know anything more about her or her family? |
Alan
Sunday, March 25, 2007 18:49 |
Hello Natalie,
Thanks for joining in. There is a large generation gap between the majority of us and you but we all share something in common. Mrs. Spencer and her husband Antony, played a major part in our young lives but because they had no children and were a generation older than our parents I for one knew nothing much about them. I never dreamt at that time that I would be answering questions about them at some time in the future. They were both very pleasant people and good neighbours. I hope one of the others may be able to help you further. Denis may be. |
Christine
Nathan Jack Productions
Monday, March 26, 2007 18:32 |
Got it wrong about unidentified person on Coronation tea photo. I said it was Mrs Taylor, but Wendy Wallbank assures me it is Mrs Anderson. Sorry!
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David L
Tuesday, March 27, 2007 12:31 |
Hi Christine,
It's good to hear and read your comments. Hope you are well. |
Christine
Nathan Jack Productions
Tuesday, March 27, 2007 15:24 |
Hello David,
Very well thank you hope you are too! Nice to hear from you after all these years! |
Anne (Wigglesworth) Newman
Sunday, April 1, 2007 07:10 |
Mr and Mrs Spencer were my grandparents next door neighbours, and since we lived with my gradfather I knew them very well - in fact I think I spent as much time with Mrs Spencer as I did at home! They were lovely people, very kind - and Mrs Spencer made the BEST plot toffee!! |
Natalie
Sunday, April 1, 2007 13:02 |
Thank you for telling me that, its nice to know what they were like. Does any one know what they did for a living? and you say they were your grandparents neighbours - where abouts in sutton did they live? i would love to know. |
Alan
Sunday, April 1, 2007 17:57 |
Natalie,
Antony was a stone mason as far as I am aware and worked with my Grandfather. He died whilst I was fairly young. Mrs Spencer, was at home as housewife and I cannot remember her doing anything else. They lived in the house directly opposite ours in Bent Lane. I lived in Kenmore, which is the top one of the pair of semi detached bungalows at the bottom). Anne will be able to tell you the number, I think the terrace was called South View. It was two doors up from Strawberry Cottage. The outside has not changed a great deal but no doubt the inside will have. The floors were stone slabs and would no doubt now be stressed as period features by a modern estate agent.
The house was always spotless and as Anne says the plot toffee was always worth eating. We were always made to feel welcome. |
Denis Pickles
Norfolk
Tuesday, April 3, 2007 12:21 |
Surely it was ANTNI Spencer - at least that's how Anthony was pronounced in Bent Lane! Alan mentions the spotless house and the flagged floors. It was spotless- frugally furnished but spotless. They had a wonderful old rocking chair in the kitchen but I remember best, the gas lights in the house. The Spencers had gas lighting long after most folks in the area had gone over to electric. I was fascinated by the ritual of turning the lights on in the evening; pulling the cord to operate the gas supply, lighting the gas with a taper taking care not to damage the delicate filament [mantle] and watching and listening to the hiss as the light became brighter. I didn't get into the Wigglesworths house as often as I visited the Spencers. Did you have gas lighting next door Anne?
Another thing I remember about the three houses on South View, the ones with the shared back yard, was that they were ideal targets on mischief night. Window tapping in particular, was easy there. It was easy to fix the length of black thread with button attached, to the top of the sash window with a drawing pin, take up position on top of the outhouse which housed the 'coil oil' and closet and manipulate the button to tap gently on the window. After a few taps, either Mrs Spencer or 'Antni' or Ida [if we were operating next door] would come out to see 'what was up'. The black out meant that we couldn't be detected easily and lack of noise inside the houses [no televisions in those dim and distant days] meant that small sounds could be heard indoors. After one or two 'tappings' they'd twig it and pretend they were annoyed. We'd run off giggling - 'we' being Brian and Peter Wilcock and myself. |
Natalie
Friday, April 6, 2007 14:23 |
Thank you Alan and Dennis for the information. I live locally and armed with your directions I went in search of the house! I found it easily enough - I saw Kenmore, South View and Strawberry cottage. I walked around the side and also saw the yard that you mentioned. It was quite surreal thinking back to how it used to be. I can only begin to imagine the fun you had there! If you ever think of anything else you remember about them I would love to know. I have seen their graves in St Thomas's, also in the church yard are Marys mother Hannah, father Christopher and 2 of her many siblings Ben and Hannah. I have been to their graves several times and it will now be lovely to go again knowing a little bit more about them. |
Alan
Friday, April 6, 2007 19:16 |
Natalie
I'm pleased that you found what you were looking for and that we could help you to do so. By asking you have also brought back many happy memories to both of us. Anything further that you think we cn help with, please ask.( No loans).
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