Surviving through Love
Well, I’ve been quiet for a while but, with the exception of the main lock-down weeks, there has been some internal action. At last, the 1st and 2nd floors have been repaired with beautiful new wood; however, where the old wood survived, the planks and joists have been re-used and conserved. The ground floor living … Read more
So lovely peeps of Whitby and beyond. I’ve regaled you of the wars and momentous rescues but I stopped before the greatest threat to my existence that came in the 1950s when the government passed a law that made money available for slum clearance. “That’s good”, I hear you say! Well, it is if the … Read more
Visitors The people of who pass my door seem to be of three varieties. There’s the visitor that’s read some of my missives here and have come to search me out and take some photos, there are the passers-by who happen upon me and look surprised that the planners should demolish all around me and … Read more
Update 15 – Smuggling, Press Gangs and Pub Closures Initially, I was built as a tiny cottage in a terrace, then a pub, then I was split from the pub and became 37a and became a cottage again. In the 1900s I was given a little extension at the back that enabled me to have … Read more
I hear a conversation in the street outside my front door. George has been working on my front windows and numerous people had stopped to pass the time-of-day as they admire my scaffold-free front. There’s still lots to do of course but the outside is looking up and the door surrounds will add to that … Read more
George has been busy stripping my door, refitting my windows in the front and doing a lot of painting but there’s a huge amount yet to do. Lee Waring, my builder, has been revealing my original fireplace and chimney and renovating them using reclaimed bricks and Danny has removed the last of the concrete that … Read more
Hello again Peeps, This one’s about love, death and racing, oh, and wirelesses. We also take a look at pirates. I’ve seen and heard them all, read on… Lee Waring was here following the granting of planning permissions from the Conservation people. He’s putting a work schedule together so Jack Hallam has been along to … Read more
In 1940 the cauldron is brought back into general use as fresh food becomes scarce and the need for cheap food well-cooked becomes imperative. For many decades I had an open fire and a huge cauldron would hang from an iron hook that would swivel and allow the pot to be moved in and out … Read more
Lots of planning and material ordering going on now. With the exception of the lime plaster and limecrete and some small amounts of wood, all of the other items are sourced from old buildings and suppliers who specialise in material for elderly buildings such as me. New materials would have been inappropriate and controversial. Some … Read more
My Dear Whitby peeps, Last year, before I went into hibernation I told you about some of the things that I had witnessed before and into the First World War. I remembered the SS Rohilla and the rescue operation, not to mention the effects of the war on our wonderful Whitby community. I also explained … Read more