Atherstone area forum

[Will]

Hi all,

I've been thinking about it for a while, and I've decided that Atherstone deserves it's own area on the forum. So here it is, a place for people from Atherstone to talk about their local issues.

[cathidaw]

[GOOD IDEA. I WOULD LIKE TO INTEREST OLDER PEOPLE TOO, MAYBE TALK ABOUT THE OLD TIMES THERE BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE to get verbal accounts.
There is a history group but not everyone knows about it.
I lived there for nearly 6 years during the war
Ihad great freedom and knew the town better than most of the indiginents- went to South street school and the Senior school .I know a lot about Atherstone in those years--I was an evacuee and lived with an illiterate butvery clever lady aged 63 ,in 1940--she was a real Victorian and was brought up the hard way there so I remember the Atherstone Victorian insular attitude to life there,
If interested please let me know -talk about schooldays in wartime -or the poverty and whether you felt deprived. Or anything.......just join in
As you may see I am interested in Social history

[cathidaw]

super quick reply I'm not sure how to use this site yet

[Shizara]

"super quick reply I'm not sure how to use this site yet".........

You are doing really well! Welcome aboard, it's good to have you here!

Like you I feel it good to welcome older ones too. It is especially important to take note of local history and what better ones to speak to about it than those that lived through those times.

As a child growing up I was priviledged to learn of life here in England from my grandparents who lived through the war and the depression. The hard times, yet, how they coped and made the best of what they had. The role of women when their men were away at war and the adjustments that had to be made when they returned.

There were economy measures practiced then that people today wouldn't likely dream of. Unpicking old woollen garments, washing the wool and winding it up in balls again either with the help of the backs of two chairs facing each other or one of the children holding arms out to hold the skein whilst someone did the winding of the balls of wool. Cutting down of adult clothing to make clothes for the children. Making very small amounts of meat go further with the addition of fillers such as pease pudding.

Association between generations took place on a far grander scale then that it is today. How many children sit with the older ones and ask questions such as.... "What was in like during......?" "What did granddad do for a job?"

We can all benefit much from the experience and wisdom of the older ones. They in turn will benefit from the interest shown by the young and yet, there is a danger that all this real experience and knowledge will be lost.

No matter where you live there is a wealth of knowledge in the minds of the older ones but sadly, in today's busy world people are often too busy to stop and talk to them and share their experiences.

[Will]

[GOOD IDEA. I WOULD LIKE TO INTEREST OLDER PEOPLE TOO, MAYBE TALK ABOUT THE OLD TIMES THERE BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE to get verbal accounts.
There is a history group but not everyone knows about it.
I lived there for nearly 6 years during the war
Ihad great freedom and knew the town better than most of the indiginents- went to South street school and the Senior school .I know a lot about Atherstone in those years--I was an evacuee and lived with an illiterate butvery clever lady aged 63 ,in 1940--she was a real Victorian and was brought up the hard way there so I remember the Atherstone Victorian insular attitude to life there,
If interested please let me know -talk about schooldays in wartime -or the poverty and whether you felt deprived. Or anything.......just join in
As you may see I am interested in Social history

When I first started the forum, we did have a local history and geneology forum. It's still there just currently inactive, perhaps now is a good time to being it back.

I'm at work at the moment, so I'll wait until I get home, but I've been looking for an excuse to reactivate it for a while.

Watch this space, as I say far too regularly.

[Madhatter]

Hello again cathidaw, thought i recognised the name from my atherstone forum. I agree this is a welcome addition to Warwickshire online.
I'm a bit to young to remember that stuff. I wish I'd used a tape recorder to save dads stories now and so do the local history group. You don't think of such things at the time though. The problem with local history is that you need someone thats interested in the area that you are interested in and even on the previous busy forum where i asked for the local history board and was moderator, i struggled to get interest from people.

[cathidaw]

they coped and made the best of what they had. The role of women when their men were away at war and the adjustments that had to be made when they returned.

There were economy measures practiced then that people today wouldn't likely dream of. Unpicking old woollen garments, washing the wool and winding it up in balls again either with the help of the backs of two chairs facing each other or one of the children holding arms out to hold the skein whilst someone did the winding of the balls of wool. Cutting down of adult clothing to make clothes for the children. Making very small amounts of meat go further with the addition of fillers such as pease pudding.

Association between generations took place on a far grander scale then that it is today. How many children sit with the older ones and ask questions such as.... "What was in like during......?" "What did granddad do for a job?"

We can all benefit much from the experience and wisdom of the older ones. They in turn will benefit from the interest shown by the young and yet, there is a danger that all this real experience and knowledge will be lost.

No matter where you live there is a wealth of knowledge in the minds of the older ones but sadly, in today's busy world people are often too busy to stop and talk to them and share their experiences.[/QUOTE]

[cathidaw]

It's good to know someone is out there on this chatline.and bothering to answer.
I talk to my grandchildren about the past. They listen- and sometimes are incredulous of the happenings of my childhood. Admittedly I was a bit of a rebel and often embroider things to keep their interest, but in general it's all true.
"DID I EVER TELL YOU" often meets with rolling eyes and 'oh Nanna' but "go on then"
Iwas an evacuee in Atherstonefor the whole of the war--as was my sister. I lived with 3 different families before I found the right one (told you I was difficult and only 6 years old) and lived with them for 4 years, I had loads of freedom. There must be many people who knew the place in the war years.
I'll start some ideas.
Anyone remember th Cotton Mill Yard? There was an airaid shelter half way along. my friends and I would dare each other to go inside and run out again
it was blackout and pitch black and really frightening


Every night except Sunday I had to take a big enamel dish and fetch 8 pennyworth of chips (always the same) from 'Copsons' who ---because we were kids always kept us waiting for about 2 hours.
One night it was my turn to take the dare There was a couple snogging in there and I didn't know. I thought it was the ghost of Belty Beaver (famous Atherstone dead character in those days) I was so scared and dropped my dish of chips and we all ran home . My foster mother also believed in this ghost ,so although she sympathised,she was more upset about the lost dish-and of course the chips.
even after the war- years later , when I went to visit her she was very old, but still reminded me of her lost dish.

Iremember the fair too-always called the stachits-it was years later when Irealised it was 'the statutes' and the fairground kids at school here for the winter season

Also those awful 'sermons' in Sunday school when I felt a fool in my new straw hat, which was forever-until the sermons finished was dubbed a 'jerry helmet' but I still had to go.

And potato picking in September-days off school-working like slaves for a pittance-but we still volunteered

And the very dreadful conditions in the hat factory which stretched from North Street to Long Street-I forget the name. I occasionally took lunch to a young girl who worked there--all day in wellies.

More memories please!!!!

[cathidaw]

Itoo remember unpicking old jumpers and hanking and washing the wool, and then rolling it into balls to knit 'things.'
It was great fun --much better than lessons
The worst bit was the knitting afterwards. Mine was always holey from dropped stitches and dirty from being dropped on to the floor. A bit like my sewing but that was also bloodstained from the needle.
I was never asked to knit socks for the Navy
Cathidaw

[Will]

These are all great stories Cathi. I think it's important that stories like these get put in writing, as they tell us so much more about life back then.

I might split this thread and put all the stories in the newly re-opened history section. But not tonight as I'm too tired.

[Shizara]

My grandmother, with money from an insurance payment left to her by her father, put some away for a rainy day and also bought a cow. My uncle used to milk the cow. This provided milk, cream and butter for the household and a surplus. The surplus was swapped with others for eggs and other necessary food items. She would also bake cakes - usually ginger or rich fruit. They would be put into an air tight tin, sealed with solder and placed into a canvas bag for posting to family in London. With the time it took to get there by boat they must have had good keeping qualities, perhaps well "laced" with whisky. Whilst, geographically the details will differ the same principles were to be found on both sides of the world.

Often recipes were "in my head" ... that usually meant that there was nothing on paper but the recipe was learnt from mothers and grandmothers and you just knew how to do them. Probably one of the most versatile was the batter used for Yorkshire pudding. That same batter with the addition of baking powder made pikelets. Without the baking powder and a little more liquid it was used for pancakes. You knew how much extra to add by the "feel" when you were mixing. An economical mix. One egg went an incredibly long way.

[Von Roden]

My grandmother, with money from an insurance payment left to her by her father, put some away for a rainy day and also bought a cow. My uncle used to milk the cow. This provided milk, cream and butter for the household and a surplus. The surplus was swapped with others for eggs and other necessary food items. She would also bake cakes - usually ginger or rich fruit. They would be put into an air tight tin, sealed with solder and placed into a canvas bag for posting to family in London. With the time it took to get there by boat they must have had good keeping qualities, perhaps well "laced" with whisky. Whilst, geographically the details will differ the same principles were to be found on both sides of the world.

Often recipes were "in my head" ... that usually meant that there was nothing on paper but the recipe was learnt from mothers and grandmothers and you just knew how to do them. Probably one of the most versatile was the batter used for Yorkshire pudding. That same batter with the addition of baking powder made pikelets. Without the baking powder and a little more liquid it was used for pancakes. You knew how much extra to add by the "feel" when you were mixing. An economical mix. One egg went an incredibly long way.

I use the same mix as batter for my fresh fish(ok I do ad a little bitter beer)

[Shizara]

Can anyone tell me more about Merevale Church? Have seen websites and worked out where it is. Not many clues on websites as to opening times - with the exception of them them being limited.

[cathidaw]

hi shizara'
You may get some info. about this church now , but if not........

This year I am hoping to go with a group of photographers to Merivale Hall. we went about 2 years ago, one evening in the Summer. I had permission from Lord Dugdale who owns the place. and the only charge to us was to
give small a donation to the church there.
A few years ago -about 5 I think , I arranged for us to visit the Church. Unfortunately I was ill and couldn't go but the group went and said it was fantastic..
If you write to the secretary at Merivale Hall, they may have some information- or perhaps you may be able to go and look around.
They are very friendly. (or you could phone.)