I love all the tips for craft and re-decoration - last week I was longing to be able to crochet and this week I was longing for hand-stitched scented pillows.
If that isn't enough nostalgia - follow it up with Turn Back Time at 9pm on BBC1 - it sees families through the ages try and run indepedent high street stores through the ages. Starting last year with the 1870's and the Victorians, last nights episode entered the Edwardian era.
This appeals to me on so many levels, firstly I'm all about independent stores on the high street. Whenever I get chance I shop local and would avoid the supermarkets completely if I could. I feel if we can get back to shopping in this way it will make such a difference to our run-down towns and cities.
The other reason I love this so much is that whilst researching my family tree I've discovered several shop-keepers so it was fascinating to see the difficulties that shopkeepers used to have.
These are the ancestors I traced as shopkeepers:
William Henry Strapps was my great, great Grandfather, born in Prestwich he married Ann Elizabeth in Preston and lived in Dilworth, near Preston in the 1890's working as a tobacconist before returning to Prestwich. On another branch of the family William Henry Olive (also my great, great grandfather) was a grocer in the Kirkhams district of Prestwich in the 1890's.
William Strapps daughter Alice married William Olive's son Walter - my great grandparents were both descended from Victorian shopkeepers - so it definately mush be in the blood. It's strange how my life has similarities with these ancestors I knew nothing about!
No comments:
Post a Comment