The continuing story of growing up in Chorlton in the 1940s by Ann Love
Ann lived on Barlow Moor Road.
"Running the height of the house, was a stained glass window, which illuminated the staircase, and on sunny days made lovely coloured reflections down the stairs.
The middle floor had a large landing, with doors leading off to the two front bedrooms, a small dressing room above the hall, granddads bedroom above the kitchen, the bathroom and bedroom, and a large room over the downstairs workshop.
On the landing were a linen cupboard, and a grandfather clock with a large glass case full of stuffed birds.
Sometimes the clock would strike thirteen times at midnight.
I slept in one of the front bedrooms, which had a huge mahogany wardrobe, about 9ft wide and 6ft high.
Even allowing for the fact that things look bigger when you're small, it was huge...
There were spaces for hanging clothes at each side, the middle door was a mirror, with drawers behind.
When I was about seven, it was fashionable to have lead strips on the windows, and I remember being ill in bed at the time, and watching this being done to our windows.
The man stretched a string w covered in chalk, and snapped it against the window to make a line, then glued the lead strip in place.
I think children used to be ill much more when I was young; I had whooping cough when I was about four, and my parents used to take me to Hoylake, so that the sea breeze would take it away.
I remember that I had been going to Tap and Ballet lessons at a Dance School down Groby Road, but after whooping cough I still had an irritating cough, and had to give it up.
There was a very large room above the downstairs workshop.
It must have been a beautiful room, with a bay window at the side of the house, and another large window overlooking the garden.
When my parents were first married, it was their private sitting room, but in my time it was used for storage – bolts of taffeta for the coffins, rolls of kapok, brass nameplates, and handles for coffins, boxes full of gowns to put on the corpses, as well as several large pieces of ornately carved furniture."
Pictures; the house in the 1950s, and drawings of the interior and exterior from the collection of Ann Love
© Ann Love
"Running the height of the house, was a stained glass window, which illuminated the staircase, and on sunny days made lovely coloured reflections down the stairs.
The middle floor had a large landing, with doors leading off to the two front bedrooms, a small dressing room above the hall, granddads bedroom above the kitchen, the bathroom and bedroom, and a large room over the downstairs workshop.
On the landing were a linen cupboard, and a grandfather clock with a large glass case full of stuffed birds.
Sometimes the clock would strike thirteen times at midnight.
I slept in one of the front bedrooms, which had a huge mahogany wardrobe, about 9ft wide and 6ft high.
Even allowing for the fact that things look bigger when you're small, it was huge...
There were spaces for hanging clothes at each side, the middle door was a mirror, with drawers behind.
The man stretched a string w covered in chalk, and snapped it against the window to make a line, then glued the lead strip in place.
I think children used to be ill much more when I was young; I had whooping cough when I was about four, and my parents used to take me to Hoylake, so that the sea breeze would take it away.
I remember that I had been going to Tap and Ballet lessons at a Dance School down Groby Road, but after whooping cough I still had an irritating cough, and had to give it up.
There was a very large room above the downstairs workshop.
It must have been a beautiful room, with a bay window at the side of the house, and another large window overlooking the garden.
When my parents were first married, it was their private sitting room, but in my time it was used for storage – bolts of taffeta for the coffins, rolls of kapok, brass nameplates, and handles for coffins, boxes full of gowns to put on the corpses, as well as several large pieces of ornately carved furniture."
Pictures; the house in the 1950s, and drawings of the interior and exterior from the collection of Ann Love
© Ann Love
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