Brierley Hill, South Street.

[oldun]

My mother lived in South Street and was born 1904. Their house was opposite the Baptist church graveyard. The house is gone but the Church is still there. Most of Mom's family are buried there and my father. Mom's dad was the barber and had his shop in the front room of the house. Mom and her sister used to have to wait up for the pub's to turn out in order to lather the men who came in for a shave. Years later Aunty Vi had a barber shop of her own at Round Oak.
They had a brother Cyril and all three went to Mill Street School. . Miss Parnell was a mistress there and a bit of a tarter. She would go bright red when her dander was up. Her graveyard is in St.Michael's churchyard. Mom wasn't much good at arithmetic but good at reading and writing. But she excelled in sewing and embroidery. The headmistress would have her sit in her office and knit her silk stockings. She also embroidered a flower on an Australian soldiers collar. He was the boyfriend of one of the teachers.
Mom was a bit of a tomboy and would follow her brother everywhere and the canal was a favourite place. They used to play kick the can outside their house where everyone used to hide and one would be on and have to catch someone running out and kicking the can before he was seen. They used to roam the fields on the far side of the Delph (housing estates now) without fear. On the opposite corner of South Street on the Delph side was the gasworks and the Managers house.
Mom's maternal grandfather had owned a Pottery at Silver End and it had been there through 3 family generations.
She could remember the Asian Flu coming when her mom, who was asthmatic was very ill with it. Mom was instructed by the Doctor to fetch some best steak and stew it with a small amount of water and give it her mother to drink. Mom said she had the FLu too and could feel the effects of it when she went to fetch the steak.
She left school at 14 and went to work at the tailoring works in Flood Street, Dudley. Oakley's shop a few houses below them supplied many of their needs.
She would go to Dudley on the tram which went so slowly you could walk as fast. But it had it's uses in Winter. From the top of the tram they could snowball the chaps as they went past. She remembered the end of WW1 when she was in Dudley and a soldier picked her up and twirled her around. She could also remember the paper boys having bare feet. They were hard times and if the rates weren't paid the furniture would be on the street. Mom and her siblings would often go to school with an empty stomach and her dad would bring a bun for them if he'd had a customer in to shave.
Their toilet was at the top of the yard and she said she'd never been afraid because of having to go in the dark. No electricity then. Nor did they have gusunders. She remembered the knocker upper and the lamp lighters and the cats following the milk man around, and the night soil men. They used to get rid of fish cheap on Brierley Hill market on a Saturday night and that was feast night.
Her paternal grandparents lived at Harts Hill in Harts Hill Cottage which overlooked Fens Pool before they built the housing estate. He was a teacher of music and church organist amongst other things. All a bit different from today.

[snoopysue]

Hi Oldun,
Welcome to the forum
Sounds like you asked all the questions some of us didn't get around to!

[peterd]

Hi oldun welcome to the forum

[mallosa]

Hi Oldun and welcome!

Peterd's right, what an interesting post- If there's more to tell, let's have it eh?

[Northern Lass]

Hi.......SRD if you about could you move this to Black country Genealogy section pls

thanks

[SRD]

Welcome to the forum. I've copied your original post to the Black Country section.

[grangers14]

Hi oldun
I hope you enjoy the forum and our company.
Jo