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Note: ADDRESSES: Addresses:- 1871 - 42 Harding Street. Liverpool
1881 - 1 in 2 Court Barton Street West derby. Liverpool
1891 -15 Boynton Street..Liverpool (Living with Mother & Step-Father EDWARDS)
1901-57 Boynton Street. Liverpool
1911 - 57 Rokesmith Street. Liverpool
1930 (abt) 33 Willoughby Street Liverpool 7
1955 - 19 Plimsoll Street. Liverpool 7
BIOGRAPHY: 33 Willoughby Street - Edgehill, Liverpool 7
BIOGRAPHY: The earliest recollections I have of my grandfather is somewhere around 1948 - my sister and I spent school holidays at his house. I went to a nursery school in Kinglake Street (My eldest daughter Susan also attended the same nursery in 1966) My Grandfather would fetch me and keep me until my parents arrived from work. The house was a ‘2 up 2 down’.
The front room, which was directly off the street, held a plain wooden table covered in ‘oiled-cloth’ 2 wooden chairs, a wooden rocking chair. It also housed a rather ornate wall clock with a carved eagle on the top, which Granddad had won playing bowls. A floor to ceiling ‘dresser’ with lots of little drawers and a mirror. The drawers contained all sorts of treasures, buttons, string, beads and an assortment of hair-clips and decorations. The shelves down the sides had china ornaments of ‘ladies’ and gentlemen’. On the very top of this dresser behind an ornate frontage lay the hats belonging to the grand-mother I had never met, because she had died before I was born!
The floors were of red and black stone flags and the fire was a big black cast-iron range.
It had long brass bar across the full length of the mantle-piece, from which hung a shaving strop. The strop only had to be looked at by an adult to command obedience! In front of the fire was a brass fender with 2 fenders boxes, which held the ‘chips’ (wood, bought in bundles tied with wire) to start the fire. A large cast-iron kettle was kept always boiling on the fire to supply the only source of hot water in the house. (This kettle was eventually to cause Granddad to lose his independence) Grandfather drank coffee (quite unusual at that time) which he boiled up in a small pan; it was continually re-heated and was very strong. One of the 4 panes in the window which looked out onto the street had a crack which had been mended with ‘brown paper’. From the window hung a cotton lace curtain, which was yellowed by age. There was also a reminder of the 2nd World War, in the black-out curtain and blind)
In the back room was a brown 3 ringed cooker and even older, stranger looking range with a water boiler for washing clothes. Along the length of one wall was a well used workbench - never used in my memory. The bench was full of tools, now rusted and left as though in the middle of working. Grandfather. Had been a safe maker for Milners Safe works. He made miniatures in metal for a hobby. He had made an exact scale model of the fire range in brass and cast-iron, with which we were allowed to play. Off this room was built a ‘lean to’ in which there still reposed a ceramic Hip Bath, which I presume Granddad still used.
The stairs to the upper 2 rooms led off this room. The back bedroom contained a glass domed case which housed the bridal bouquet used by my Grandmother. There were also many copies of the ‘Penny Encyclopaedia’ which had been bought either by or for my father; my sister and I spent many hours reading these. Finding the advertisements most interesting.
The front bedroom belonged to Grandfather and presumably had been shared with Grandmother. This room contained a marble wash-stand with jug and bowl, also a cutthroat razor and shaving brush. (Still in use at that time) a small wooden table which held a prayer book, a bible and a palm-cross Next to the brass bed stood a wooden chair, this chair usually had Grandfather Spare ‘long johns’ on. (I think my Mother must have done his washing, because the only things he washed were his under-clothes and his red-spotted handkerchiefs the window in this room also had cotton lace curtains.
Outside in the backyard was a disused chicken-coop built and used by my Father for both meat and eggs. There was also the lavatory, complete with wooded seat and squares of newspaper!
This was the house both my sister and I loved until Granddad had a fall and cut his nose. My sister who would have been about 11 or 12 had to ‘phone my Father at work. (Quite a task - to use a public phone) Grandfather. Refused to go to hospital for stitches so my Father took a curved needle and some black twine and inserted 4 stitches into his nose. I can remember standing and looking at this going on, not in the least perturbed. It was then that Grandfather came to live with us at 19 PLIMSOLL STREET, L.POOL 7. Grandfather had the front downstairs ‘best’ room for a bedroom until he died quite peacefully in 1957.
DEATH: On a cold but bright and sunny day,Joe died peacefully, at home, after being in a coma for several days. He was nursed by his son Frank and daughter-in-law Vi with much help from the Nun's of St Annes Church, Overbury Street. Liverpool. Joe received the 'Last Rites' of the Roman Catholic Church before he died.
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