Memories of the Manor
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"Dad was in the Army, stationed at Guildford in Surrey and for the last few months of his service at Aldershot, but both my grandmas were in the West Midlands, as were a number of uncles, aunts and cousins. "That meant part of the long 60s summer school holidays were spent either with Granny Williams at Upton Magna, near Shrewsbury or Essington, just outside Wolverhampton, where Granny Harris was housekeeper at Bibbys' Manor Farm. "It's sad to see the Manor now, falling into decay. When Granny Harris was there it was a real place of adventure for a kid, with big rooms, two sets of stairs and a proper scullery. "There were chickens to feed, buildings to explore, fields to wander and pigeons to take potshots at with Tony Beeston, one of the farm-workers' sons, who not only had an air rifle, but could drive a tractor. "Looking back, Granny Harris was a little eccentric, but then she did rattle around in this huge house on her own most of the time. She'd long been divorced from Grandad Jack, who was supposed to have been a bigwig among the Cannock miners. "But she did have her companions. Apart from her kitten-factory of cats and a couple of dogs, she'd rear chicks in the back bedroom because, she said, it was the only way she could keep them warm. "And then there was the little girl on the stairs whom Granny Harris 'saw' from time to time. Not a threat, she said, just a presence and someone to talk to, presumably. "Oh, and another thing, she did make great nettle wine . . ." |
