More Bygone Ways by Ann Wheeler
Banburyshire Family History

A site designed for you to share your family history with others from the Banbury area

skip to links

go back to the last page you were on More Bygone Ways

Ann Wheeler

You could have been talking about our scullery Muriel for I am sure ours was identical to yours, 'cept ours had a 'walk in' pantry and next to it, of all things, a coal cellar.

Rag rugs, made with 4inch by 1 inch strips, nothing so sophisticated as a 'latch hook'. Mum would fashion her own out of a cloths peg, you know the sort that the gypsies brought around the doors to sell. Not a lot Mum couldn't do, she was good at 'make do and mend' as I am sure many of her generation were.

Back to the scullery, did you have very large kettle always on the hob heating up? Also Monday dinner was always stew, cooked on the range all morning while mum did washing. Proper witches cauldron was Mum's. Black cast iron and 3 legs, handle over the top. Far as I know it is still going strong. We all loved winter Mondays.

I always wanted dresses as you describe. No such luck. Still when my daughter came along I had the pleasure of seeing her dressed in them till she started choosing her own dress styles.

Mum did all the things herself, sewing, knitting etc till I was 10 years old when I took over making my own and my sisters dresses. About that time I put new wallpaper on the sitting room, stripping the old off was a pest but I got there in the end.

It was then I decided which way my life was to go, all forms of needlework, cooking, knitting and making the best home I could no matter what the circumstances. Spent the rest of my school life with those as my main studies. Maths and English were compulsory.

Contributed by Ann Wheeler