Childhood at Bourne (4)
Emmie Taylor's memories of childhood at Bourne (continued)
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I cannot remember just when it happened, but one day while we lived at this house there was an awful thunder storm, and I could tell that even Auntie was nervous. Suddenly there was a terrific bang and crack and bang. We went nervously upstairs to see if all was well, which it was, but there had been a thunder bolt and a tree was struck in the field behind us. For a long time we had a piece of this tree standing in the corner of the sitting room.
You would be amused to know what little girls wore then. First a vest, then a chemise, a liberty bodice and knickers, a flannel petticoat, then a fancy white petticoat, a frock of course, then a pinafore, with a special one for Sundays. Long black stockings and buttoned boots, the more buttons the smarter. We always had a Sunday frock, hat and coat and gloves. We had a buttonhook for our boots and gloves.
I have told you about the shop Auntie West's, but not about the house. We approached down an arched passage at the side of the shop, then through a gate into the first part of the yard. Opposite the yard gate was the side door which we did not often use, but went further along the back door into the kitchen. Behind the shop was the dining room where we had meals on a Sunday or if anyone came. Then we went through a passage, off which was the pantry and the stairs, then there was the kitchen. It was on a shelf in this kitchen where she kept the old tea caddy, like the one in the safe at your house. They had no water in the house, but just after the back door to the left was a square yard where there was a pump which they shared with the people next door, who were called Horn and kept a gentlemen's outfitters. They had a boy called Cyril whom I played with. In the book on Bourne you will see an advert for Horn's, Gents' Outfitters. This must either be Cyril's younger brother or his son. When I went to my father's funeral they had moved to a much bigger shop across the market place. I would like to have called, but hadn't the time. To continue about Auntie West's the kitchen window overlooked the pump. To wash up etc one had to fill the fire boiler from the ?? to heat the water and wash up in a bowl on a bench under the window. If instead of turning right to the pump you kept straight on there was a wash house on the right where there was a tap, but on wash day the water had to be heated in the copper like at our house. A bit further on was a little patch where she grew mint and parsley, then there was the closet, which had a big one for adults and a little one for children. I felt very grown up when I could use the big one. The seats were always scrubbed spotlessly white and unless you were well off you used newspaper cut into neat pieces, not toilet paper. If you wanted to perform in the night you had to use the pot and it was emptied in the morning.
I tell you women don't know they are born today. Then there were always the grates to be blackleaded. The sitting room was upstairs. Near the window was an iron stand containing an Aspidistra, a castor oil plant, a golden lily and ferns and on each end of the mantelpiece were lustres which I loved, but they had to be dusted very carefully for fear of breaking them. They had a picture which I am sure would be valuable today. ??? mother had done them when she was a girl in the finest black silk on white. The stitches were so fine that you could not distinguish one from the other. The largest one which was of Grimsthorpe Castle was about the size of the picture by Sam Towers (?) which you and Daddy had bought from the mill. I wonder what has happened to them.
They had 3 bedrooms and all houses then had sash windows, and Auntie West thought she had very advanced ideas because she opened her bedroom windows about 3 inches (?) every day. They had to be closed at sunset because of the damp night air. One of my joys at Auntie West's was to be taken up in the garret (attic). I wasn't allowed to go alone for fear I fell down the stairs. She used to have apples, laid on the floor and all sorts of treasures up there and it had a lovely smell all of its own. Auntie West had a friend called Miss Lovell who used to come and stay. One day when she was there she and Auntie Maggie went to an auction of furniture at the Corn Exchange which lasted all day. I think they went for the entertainment, because I am sure they did not want to buy anything. I stayed for the day at Auntie West's and they came there for dinner which we had in the dining room. Auntie West had another friend called Miss Fancourt who went away in the summer for about a month and Auntie West used to take me with her about twice a week to water the plants and open the windows and we used to go in the garden and pick red and black currants and raspberries. She lived next door but one to the house where I was born.
One incident I have forgotten to tell you. When I was about 3 Auntie took me to the chapel for the first time, and when Daddy went into the pulpit, I stood up and shouted "I want to go up those steps to my Daddy". Auntie and I sat with Auntie West 3 seats from the back and a Mr Cox who sat behind always passed me sweets during the sermon. I went to Sunday School and Chapel in the morning and to Sunday School in the afternoon. On Sunday Daddy wore a top hat and a frock coat.
Another thing that happened while we were at this house was that Queen Victoria died. Daddy was talking to me about it one day when we were walking through the woods, and I said that I thought the Prince of Wales (Edward VII) would be glad that she had died because now he would be King and that would be very fine. (I have changed my mind now because I thing to be a good King or Queen is one of the hardest things in the world), but Grandpa explained that she was his mother, but I couldn't quite see this. I should think in one way he was glad because she had been such an old martinet with him and although he was a middle aged man he had never been allowed to have any power. When he did become King he did all he could to promote peace, but he was a one for the ladies, he had several lady friends but he had a beautiful, patient wife Queen Alexandra, who had been a Danish Princess. When he was dying she let his special lady friend Mrs Knolleys come to see him before he died. She Queen Alexandra, went very deaf. She started Alexandra Rose Day to raise money for disabled soldiers. One thing I asked Daddy about Queen Victoria was "If they bury her body, what do they do with her head and arms and legs"? I thought by body he meant just the trunk part.
When all the fuss about the funeral had died down, the preparations for the coronation began. There was to be big affair on the Abbey Lawn, with tea and games and bands and a Coronation mug for every child and fireworks at night. Then 2 of 3 days before the coronation the King had to have an operation for appendicitis & no one had heard of appendicitis before it used to be called Inflammation of the Bowels, and it was looked on as quite a big operation, however he got over it alright. There was a big to do as the whether we should have the celebrations, but as everything was prepared it was decided to go on with them.
When I was small when my Daddy and I were going for walks Daddy used to teach me poetry, only simple things like Lucy Grel(?) "We are Seven". "The Wreck of the Hesperus" by Longfellow. This started me on learning poetry. I learned "Has Horatious kept the Bridge (72 stanzas) by Macaulay. "In the Children's Hospital", "The Revenge" and a great part of "In Memoriam" by Tennyson. As I grew older I memorized parts of Milton, Shelley and Keats, Wordsworth and Coleridge. I loved the beautiful language of Shelley and Keats and still do. I think they are word music. I am afraid I have not bothered to read and learn modern poetry. What I have read I have not appreciated except some of Dylan Thomas. Someone bought me a book of Betjeman's poems and I thought they were just doggerel. He also always encouraged me to read. When I was 10 he bought me "Uncle Tom's cabin". I read a chapter and thought it was very dry, so he said "If you will read a chapter a day until you have read 10 chapters and then you do not like it you can leave it", but of course I was very interested. I began to read when I was quite young. I think the first book I remember was "Hans Anderson's Fairy Tales" and I read them over and over again. I read all kinds of books and always have done. When the family were young I had not a lot of time, but I manage to read all sorts of things now, History and Adventure, Biography and novels. Some of the books when I was young were very sentimental, there was one about Rosalie a little fairground girl, it was called "Behind the Scenes" but I cannot remember the name and "The Wide, Wide World", I read them over and over again and wept bucketsful over them. Of the "Little Women" and the "Katy" series are still read today.
When I was about 7 we left this house and went to live up the road again at Springfield villas, but before I go on to that I must tell you about our great adventure of the year, our holidays at Hartlepool, oh what happy times they were. Auntie and I used to go for 6 weeks and Daddy used to come for a month. Auntie and I always stayed at Auntie Kate's because Grandma Parker lived with her, my Grandfather Parker died when I was a few months old, I remember very little of the early holidays. I have a vague recollection of them living at Hunter Street in West Hartlepool. Auntie Kate had a daughter and Kitty was my age. You will see about them in the family tree and notes about them. I got into awful trouble on this holiday quite unjustly. Baby Margaret was crawling on the floor and I trod on her fingers and they said I had done it on purpose. Auntie was very cross and even Kitty wouldn't be friends with me. I can remember to this day the feeling of resentment I had, because I knew I had not done it on purpose. My father always stayed at Auntie Liza's & they then lived at Hartlepool. The next year we went we stayed at Auntie Liza's because the children at Auntie Kate's had whooping cough, and by the time we went again little Margaret had died. (I am a bit vague about this time. I have told in the family notes about Uncle Willie leaving Auntie Kate for a time and I know it was when they were in West Hartlepool.
The next time we went they had gone to live in Hartlepool and had a shop in Northgate opposite the theatre. Auntie Kate and Grandma Parker were splendid cooks and they used to make lovely treacle cakes and meat pies etc. They also sold ??? and fruit and vegetables. Shops could stay open until all hours and when the first house of the theatre came out they were packed out. Uncle Willie and the older members of the family used to help at night.
