More voices from the past

We had Mary Walker and her husband staying with us last night. Mary grew up here, leaving aged 14 in 1949. She too remembers being hauled up and down in the old dumbwaiter. It seems to be a common memory - Dianne remembers that someone would haul her halfway up and then go away leaving her dangling. With friends like these...

The demolished building at the end, near the friars was a piggery and was already disused in 1949. There were apparently allotments up the hill where Mike McGovern's place (Willow Court B&B) is.

The room that we use as an office was apparently where the boots were polished. Imagine - a whole room dedicated to polishing boots! The cocktail bar was installed by Mary's parents. Plastics had just become available and red and black was the theme. The bar's still red and black 55 years later!

The dining room was a lounge. It will probably become one again, though with doors through to the function room. The tv room was Mary's parents sitting room. Mary remembers her brother slamming (accidentally) the window there on her fingers while she was watching handball - her screams being heard by American servicemen who were stationed in the town and who rushed to her aid.