I Spy with my Little Eye

 

                                                 

Granny Shaw died in early Feb 1953 after a very long and eventful life

She was born on Feb 14th 1866 in the era of Billy the Kid and Colonel George Custer of the

 “Battle of the Little Big Horn” fame

 

She married John Shaw, a miner, moved into 37, Silverthorne lane Cradley Heath and over a period

of fifteen years reared ten children, 5 sons and 5 daughters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


          Gran and Grandad Shaw, Caroline and John, pictured in the 1940’s on their Golden Wedding day

 

                                                    Her Children

 

             Sons                                                            Daughters

    John-------had 4 children                         Lizzie (married twice, Bennett & Holloway)---5 children

    Owen-----------8 children                         Beatie (Whitehouse)-----------------------------2 children

    Frank-----------5 children                         Annie (Dunn)------------------------------------ 2 children

    Billy-------------1 child                              Nellie (Sidaway, Mom)--------------------------2 children

    David----------died aged 14                      Eadie (Sidaway)----------------------------------1 child

    in the 1918 influenza pandemic

 

                                 In all 29 grandchildren so I had lots of cousins

 

                                                    Her Husband

Granddad Shaw was a distinguished looking man and his craggy face was somehow enhanced by

 a couple of scars carrying small blackened traces of coal—the result of accidents in the pit.

His favourite seat was a screen—a sort of wooden high backed sofa—alongside the large black-leaded fireplace

The screen was a barrier for him against the fierce draught that whistled in from the back door,

through the scullery and up the chimney—especially in the winter time when a roaring fire would

cause the soot on the back wall of the fireplace to glow in an ever-changing pattern

 

Occasionally, the soot further up the chimney would turn into a real fire with smoke and sometimes

flames bellowing out from the chimneypot—to the consternation of the adults but always a highlight for us kids

He would often send me on an errand to Wimbush’s shop in Lomeytown to get an ounce of his favourite tobacco.

Not for him the smoothed ready rubbed stuff that came in fancy tins but a very dark brown, almost

black variety that was packed in thin layers and wrapped in silver paper. Each layer was about a pipe full

and had to be rubbed and crushed to just the right consistency

I can’t remember its name except that it included a word that always caused a giggle amongst the kids—SHAG!

He died from complications with pneumonia, well into his seventies; Granny Shaw always claimed that he

contracted it by too much sitting on the cold front steps of the “Swan with two Necks” waiting for opening time

The fact that he smoked all of his adult life and had breathed in a lot of coal dust might just have played some part

He was a bit of a tease and when I was very young he would sit me on the armchair opposite his screen and

say “shall I tell you a story”

.

                                                 I would say yes Granddad,

                                             He would say—“shall I begin it”

                                                       Yes Granddad

                                          He would say—“that’s all that’s in it”

 

He caught me every time!

 

 

                                                       Her House

Although a traditional terraced house, built in the late 19th century, it was unusual.

It was built on the corner of the lane with the main room, the living room, having two outside walls,

The walls were built at an angle of about 120 degrees so that the room was an unusual shape and very spacious

It also had windows in both the outside walls, looking out on to Silverthorne lane, so that as well as being large

it was also light and airy

It also had two other unusual features for houses built at that time:

A built-in scullery, rather than one built in an outhouse, and a front door that opened into a hall rather than

opening directly into a room, the hall led into a stairway that separated the living room from the sitting room

The living room was well furnished, including a piano, and the youngest daughter Eadie was a self-taught but

accomplished pianist

 

                                                                                                                                                                               

                                            37 Siverthorne Lane

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


     In the back garden, Feb 14th 1946                 On the front steps with the youngest daughter

    my 15th birthday, Granny Shaws 80th                                 Eadie, the pianist

                                             

                                                      Saturday Night

Over a period of about 2 years, three or more of the families met up at Grannies on Saturdays

This always included the youngest daughter Edie and her family, who lived there with Granny,

the Whitehouse family, all the way from Rowley Regis, sometimes the Dunns from Overend

and the Holloways from further down Siverthorne Lane and always us--the Sidaways

So there was a crowd but the living room was easily large enough to accommodate us all in

comfort and in the afternoon the grandkids, and a few of the local kids, would usually play

over at the old local pit mound, known as Lomey town Bonk (Bank)

It covered several acres and in parts was quite hilly and in the early part of the war the foundations

that were dug out for the large communal air raid shelters provided an extra dimension to our playtime

Occasionally, I’d sneak away to visit Aunt Polly who had a sweetshop opposite Whitehall Lane in

Lomey Town and was always rewarded with some “off the ration book” sweets.

They were usually pear drops that were stored in one of the many large glass sweet jars on the

sweetshop counter

 

Aunt Polly was my other Grandmother’s (Granny Sidaway) sister, so she was really my Great Aunt

 

Later on, following a tea party, we always seemed to have cucumber sandwiches followed by jelly,

the adults would gravitate to the local pub, either the“Swan with Two Necks” on the corner of

Silverthorne lane or the Station Hotel at the bottom of Lomey Town

The Grandkids were left in the care of Granny Shaw who was more than happy with her pint

of Old Ale that we fetched for her from the Swan with two Necks, this supplemented the

home brew that was always on tap in the cellar off the living room

 

                                                         Party Games

With the adults well out of the way it was games time, usually snakes and ladders, jigsaw puzzles,

tidiley winks, five jacks (mainly for the boys) but always finishing up with a game of ;

                                                  “I Spy with my little Eye”

 

Although for a while Granny ran her own business making cakes and pastries, like many

of her generation she had never had any schooling so she couldn’t read or write.

So “I Spy” was almost impossible for her to play but that didn’t stop her joining in

 

To our suprise, on one Saturday night, Granny got it right so;

                “Come on Grannie Shaw it’s your turn now”

 

 “I spy with my little eye something beginning with S” said Granny Shaw

 

                                Sugar-----------------------------no, said Granny Shaw

                                Salt-------------------------------no

                                Shoe------------------------------no

                                Sofa------------------------------no

                                Screen---------------------------no

                               Shoe lace------------------------no

                               Sweets---------------------------no

                               Stockings------------------------no

                               Spoon----------------------------no

                               Soot------------------------------no

                               Saucer----------------------------no

                               Saucepan------------------------no

                               Shelf------------------------------no

 

                                             and so on

 

                                   So come on Granny Shaw,

         tell us what “you spy with your little eye something beginning with S”

 

                                    PIANO, said Granny Shaw!