HOUSING
CHARLIE: This was a time when a family of four would have to fend for themselves and live in one room.
Where I lived in Bassett Road, we had inside toilets and an inside bathroom. There was a communal kitchen on the landing and a communal bathroom shared by 8 to 10 people.
We had a larder and the main meal would be cooked on Sunday for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Some of us didn't have refrigerators so we would leave the food on the windowsill. I used to look forward to Sunday because we would always have jelly and ice-cream. We would always put the jelly to set on the windowsill. We used to have a paraffin heater during the cold weather. Saturday night was always bath night. In Lancaster Road Baths you could have a hot shower, bath and swim as well.
We went to the Tally man to get our furniture. There was second hand furniture but the Afro Caribbean community didn't like it. They didn't know where it came from. A lot of us came from Christian backgrounds and we had our superstitions. We thought that a lot of houses were haunted, ghosts in the house. What we did from the Caribbean, we sprinkled alcohol in four corners to keep the evil spirit out. Those of us who managed to buy a house, got the priest to bless it.
Where I lived in Bassett Road, we had inside toilets and an inside bathroom. There was a communal kitchen on the landing and a communal bathroom shared by 8 to 10 people.
We had a larder and the main meal would be cooked on Sunday for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Some of us didn't have refrigerators so we would leave the food on the windowsill. I used to look forward to Sunday because we would always have jelly and ice-cream. We would always put the jelly to set on the windowsill. We used to have a paraffin heater during the cold weather. Saturday night was always bath night. In Lancaster Road Baths you could have a hot shower, bath and swim as well.
We went to the Tally man to get our furniture. There was second hand furniture but the Afro Caribbean community didn't like it. They didn't know where it came from. A lot of us came from Christian backgrounds and we had our superstitions. We thought that a lot of houses were haunted, ghosts in the house. What we did from the Caribbean, we sprinkled alcohol in four corners to keep the evil spirit out. Those of us who managed to buy a house, got the priest to bless it.
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MAX: When I moved into my flat in the 1970s it was a new flat, it was perfect. You couldn't find any fault at all. We started with a two bedroom flat on the 13th floor and then we moved to a flat on the 6th floor with three bedrooms. The area hasn't changed much. Everything is nice and green especially in the summer when the trees blossom and there are flowers. I love it. I enjoy living here.
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ERNEST: When I arrived here Winter 1967 this was the first place I came to. It was very, very cold, there was snow on the ground. The snow was up to almost my knee. I didn't like it. This was where I was brought to. I was almost nine and I lived there (pointing to upstairs of terrace house) until I was fourteen. My mother and I lived in one room. There were three families living in the same house. We all shared the same kitchen and bathroom.
We would play marbles at the front of the house. We would make a small circle and we would pitch the marbles and whatever marbles got knocked out of the centre, were yours. We would keep pitching, pitching, pitching
...those are the memories. This is what we would do here.
We moved because of the hassle my mother had from the landlord.
We would play marbles at the front of the house. We would make a small circle and we would pitch the marbles and whatever marbles got knocked out of the centre, were yours. We would keep pitching, pitching, pitching
...those are the memories. This is what we would do here.
We moved because of the hassle my mother had from the landlord.
