Some Memories of an Ancoats Born
As a child in the early l920s I had a duty to perform each Saturday. I would accompany my Mother to my Grandparent's house in Gleden Street off Cambrian Street, and while my Mother brown and white-stoned their front door step and a square of pavement, I would be sent on an errand, "To save Granny's legs."
Waiting in a queue at the grocer's I would watch, fascinated by his activities. The cheese-board had a wire with a grip attached to the end. He would shuffle a large cheese onto the board before sharply whipping down the wire to detach a portion. Bacon was cut to the thickness the customer had asked for by a large bacon slicer and then weighed on large scales using brightly polished brass weights. No pre-packed, shrunk-plastic covered packs then. Some old ladies would ask for quite small amounts of food - "Will you just cut me three-pennyworth please luv?" I remember that the tiny amounts were packed as carefully and neatly as the larger amounts.
Back to Grandma's I'd find her and Mum cleaning and polishing cutlery as they shared a pot of tea. I'd be given a glass of sarsparella and reminded “That the devil finds mischief for idle hands”, so I'd be put to making paper sticks for tomorrows fire. The Devil seemed to overlook Granddad since he'd be sat with his feet on the fender drinking his tea from a pint pot with pictures of some jubilee or coronation on the side, and smoking his pipe.
The fireplace had an oven on one side and a shelf, called the 'Hob' on the other. On the Hob was a large iron kettle holding constantly simmering hot water. (Their only source of hot water) In the hearth below was a steel poker, a scraper, a toasting fork and a brass stand on which stood a flat iron. Everything was highly polished with what Granddad called 'Elbow Grease'. Over the fireplace was the mantle-shelf containing the clock and various tins, which were labelled 'Rent', 'Doctor', 'Milk', and 'Coal'. These were filled first from Granddad's weekly wage packet. 'Debt' and 'Hire Purchase' were sinful words to Grandma.
My task finished, Granddad would wrap some money in paper and say "Just slip this to Old Joe on Bradford Road and get my baccy.' I don't know if my Granddad, Old Joe or me, were breaking the law, but none of us ended up in jail. I always returned with a penny change and Grandfather and I would toss the penny. If I'd won I'd have the penny. Strangely, if I'd lost, on my way home if I felt in my pocket, I'd mysteriously find a penny there.