Stuff !

Having cleared the brambles and other vegetation during the week, which also enabled access to the summer house, I had asked my brother to bring all the piles of paper stacked up inside it into the house. Whilst the summerhouse isn’t looking good and will go, it has at least been watertight. And rodents and other creatures have left the papers intact, albeit covered in cobwebs.

We have no idea what’s in all these piles, so today has been a bit of a revelation. Four examples here. A brochure produced in 1954 by the English Electric Company (my dad worked there at one time) showing the types of housing available in the New Town. A souvenir programme produced by the Women’s Land Army in 1946 (my mum was a land girl). A project my dad completed about the history of the street where he was born and grew up - I spent my first 6 months of life here, although all the houses were demolished in the 1960’s. And the funeral record of the local funeral director’s for 1908 - 1918, with this extract which my dad was evidently interested in. It is that for my great uncle Walter, who had a very colourful life. A former grenadier guard he ended his days in a poor house in London, his brother paid for his body to be brought home for burial in the local churchyard.

We had thought most of the “ stuff” in the summer house was for throwing away, but I have been through it all and separated everything into two piles. There’s more of interest here than I had expected, so that pile I am taking home for a second look.