we used to collect the rainwater in a big barrel - that was for the bath water, and to wash our hair
Irene
My name is Irene Anne, and I was born in 1951, Carter Street, born in the house.
Interviewer
And Kathleen the same, born in the house?
Kathleen
53, yeah, I was born there.
Aerial view of Carter Street 1970s
Kathleen
We had Anthony Franciosi and Terence Franciosi.
Interviewer
And your mum and dad, both in?
Irene
Mum and dad, yes. We had the very top floor, which was the biggest in the house and our nana and grandad, Isabella and Robert Coates, me mam’s parents, and they lived with us but they had their rooms and we had our rooms. And we used to collect the rainwater in a big barrel – that was for the bath water, and to wash our hair. It was weird because the main body of the house was, you’d walk into this massive, and it was massive wasn’t it?
Kathleen
It was a big sitting room.
Irene
Massive. Well, you had the big black range there. But, when you went over that way, they had what they called a scullery. Now in there, there was a brand new cooker, there was a brand new Formica table , there was a kitchen-maid in there as well. And there was a bench at the top where me Nana used to make ginger ale.
Kathleen
When you came out the door, the sitting room door, you went along and then along and there was a bedroom door, but you went through the main bedroom into our bedroom, to a small bedroom.
Irene
One huge bedroom and one little bedroom.
Kathlene
Where our front door was, when you looked over there, you saw the back of the Black Bull.
Irene
Everybody in the street knew everybody, everybody was friends.
This memory is part of the Bishopwearmouth Townscape Heritage Scheme collection.