I haven't as mentioned a great deal of information about my Grandparents on my father's side.
I believe I did mention that they lived at the bottom of the High Street, Malmesbury at number 121, it was an old terrace cottage that was basically a two up and two down. When you went through the front door you stepped down into the front living room. I can always remember my grandfather asking in a grumpy voice what we wanted when we went to visit.
My grandmother was usually to be found in the kitchen that was situated at the rear of the house overlooking a garden that went down to a stream at the end. In this kitchen there was a large well-scrubbed table that was used to prepare the food in readiness for cooking.
I can still remember her making her lovely apple pies with cinnamon and cloves, and the aroma from one of these pies is something I shall never forget.
It was this grandmother who taught me my dressmaking skills, in fact, I can remember being asked to teach some of the other children in my class at school how to sew because the teacher had too many of us for her to teach us all. As a professional had taught me she was quite happy for me to act as her assistant.
I can remember one of the dresses my grandmother made for me was from small remnants of royal blue velvet. My grandmother had to make sure that all the weave went the correct way otherwise it would have looked like a patchwork quilt. She also very carefully cut the nap of the velvet away from each edge of all the pieces that needed joining, so as when they were stitched together the material would look as though it had been cut from one whole piece of fabric.
She was an extremely clever seamstress and I have found the skills she taught me to be very useful. When my two children, both girls, were small I don't think I bought them any dresses because I made them all myself.
On the mantelpiece over the fireplace in the front room of my grandparent's house they had a pair of Staffordshire dogs as well as a couple of Staffordshire flatback pieces. If I remember correctly one of these flatbacks was of a man dressed in a kilt.
I can also remember that on special occasions a dinner service was used and this was a beautiful service in yellow and blue and decorated with palm trees and camels.
I have spoken to my younger brother but he cannot remember it at all. My grandparents also had a cut glass sugar shaker with a silver top.
Unfortunately I didn't live close enough when they died and a family member on my grandmother's side removed the contents. These contents have been lost to our family and it is such a shame because so many memories are held in these items.
It was the same people who saw to the removal of my own parent's belongings when my mother died. She had put this Aunty Vera down as an executor of the will and we had the same problem over these contents.
I have been told that a lot of the items were sold at a car boot sale. My sister in law has managed to recover a few of the items, such as a wall plate in remembrance of my parents golden wedding anniversary and a few other items. My sister in law has now given me these items and I cherish them for the lovely memories that they hold.
