What can you remember about your Grandparent's house?

My Gran and Grandpa had a full suit of armour complete with sword standing in one of the spare rooms, used to proper creep me out when I slept over and had to go to the toilet during the night.
 


My Grandads greenhouse and garden. He loved growing stuff and I remember being sat there with a piece of rhubarb and a bowl of sugar.

My Gran’s Sunday dinner, it was always finished off with some brilliant homemade pudding, apple pies, crumbles, baked apples, etc. then a few hours later the trolley would be out for tea, just loads of cakes, Villa Pop and a few token sarnies.
 
My grandmother died before I was born but I remember my great grandmother's house down Hendon. She had a wardrobe at the top of her stairs and my older sister locked me in it. So I rocked it backwards and forwards until it toppled over and slid down the stairs with me inside. I also remember the winter of 63 when I went arse over tit on the ice running towards her house. I still have the scar on my bottom lip where I split it open.
 
home made soup with chunky gammon from the butchers and crusty bread.

Only ever entering through the back garden straight into the kitchen.

Staying over when I was really young and being fascinated by the milk float that would come around the doors early in the morning. :lol:

Sunday lunch cooking whilst my da and my uncle went to the legion for several pints and a game of pool. My uncle moved to Germany & lived over there for 20 years so I was too young to join them for Sunday club.

My grandma standing on 'the hill' directly outside her door and waving us off having just said goodbye to us at the backdoor.

Happier times. :)
 
fulwellfred said:
Both sets of my grandparents slept in separate beds, each had their own room. Was that common? I remember there was a larder in the kitchen even in the early 80s. I always remember my nannas sister when we went for 'Sunday tea' had a cupboard full of M and S crisps and biscuits that was luxury back then
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My mother's parents did this too. I was told, I think, it was because of Grandad's snoring but perhaps it was just a sign of the times?
 
Me Grandas greenhouse and his water sprayer. Absolutely loved his garden and growing tomatoes and leeks (for the show at the Labour club). I used to spend hours rummaging through his bureau and finding different pens and things.
Remember their glass partition between the living room and dining room and their Parkray coal fire where me granda used to warm up ginger snaps on top of.
They always used to have bags of Wotsits (beef, bacon and cheese flavours) in the cupboard (probably because they both had false teeth) and packets of fig rolls.
Quality memories.
 
fulwellfred said:
Both sets of my grandparents slept in separate beds, each had their own room. Was that common? I remember there was a larder in the kitchen even in the early 80s. I always remember my nannas sister when we went for 'Sunday tea' had a cupboard full of M and S crisps and biscuits that was luxury back then
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Mine also had separate beds but both single beds in the bedroom. Strange thing was my grandad died first and my nana lasted a few years more but when she died ( peaceful in her sleep) I found her and she had slept in his bed! Like she knew...
 
Me grandads leek trench. Photos of all the family on every wall.
Always had a nice kept Garden and we got banned from playing footy on the grass. Fried pek sarnies.

Both still alive.
 
Trophy Eyes said:
One of them jewellery boxes where the ballerina twirled and music played when you opened it.
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My great nanna had one of those.
About 10 years ago (about 10 years after she died), I started randomly whistling a tune and spend weeks trying to figure it out. Turns out it was a famous song, Marlene Dietrich - Lili Marleen.
Then it took me a little while longer to remember why. It was the music box she used to play for me when I was a little boy.

I really wish I could find that music box and give it my one of my kids, but I fear it was lost when she died.
 
My Nana's house was mental on a Saturday morning, she'd have her sisters and their kids around, then when they got older their grandkids. All just sat talking shite before they'd clear out when my Granda was due in from the pub. Who came with his own challenges. There was no choice of what to watch on TV or sitting in his chair once he got in.

My Nana and her sisters are all in their 70s and 80s now and they'll still go round her house on a Saturday morning to sit and natter on.

My Gran's 84 now and still lives in the same house she lived in when I was a nipper. I remember this big glass frontend cabinet she had full of plates and things from Ringtons. Little vans and that I wasn't allowed to even play with. After my Granda died she seemed to get rid of all the old big chunky cabinets and stuff and got with the times.

When I was a kid I'd spend large parts of the weekend with one or both sets of grandparents. Loved it.
 
PTR said:
My great nanna had one of those.
About 10 years ago (about 10 years after she died), I started randomly whistling a tune and spend weeks trying to figure it out. Turns out it was a famous song, Marlene Dietrich - Lili Marleen.
Then it took me a little while longer to remember why. It was the music box she used to play for me when I was a little boy.

I really wish I could find that music box and give it my one of my kids, but I fear it was lost when she died.
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Yeah, you don’t get stuff like that anymore do you. Such a shame if it’s lost mate.
 
Great thread. Its times like this when I am reminded that whilst I'm the unluckiest person in the world when it comes things like raffles or games of chance, I've been the luckies person ever when it comes to thing that matter.
I had all 4 grandparents and 2 great nannas when I was born.

Used to visit one in Blackhall Rocks once a week until I started school. I remember buying those polystrene 3 piece aeroplanes from the shop next to the chippy on the corner (on the main road through the village - I'm sure people know it), and playing with my younger cousins Graham and Dan on the little field out the front of the house.
And I'm pretty sure we still went in the school holidays until she moved into a nursing home. I remember that place quite well too (Glendale House?) - playing draughts with my great uncle who recently passed away, but had the biggest attendance I've ever seen at a funeral. Lovely man.
She died when I was probably about 7.

My other great nanna, well, she plodded on just fine until I was about 20! Could be wrong here, but I think she got a card and a bottle of fizzy from our MP when she turned 90.
I spent so much time with her during the school holidays - my mam would go to work and leave me there. We'd go to the Welfare Park in Horden most days, then play cards or dominos in the living room. I very rarely slept there though (she often walked up to babysit me), but someone else mentioned the toasting fork over the coal fire - aye, we did that too.
She was absolutely lovely my "big nanna" (because she was the older nanna, despite being about 4 foot 6 !). Her name was always lovely, and I gave it to my first child.
I was at Uni when she passed, and I'd bought and wrapped a bottle of brandy for her Xmas present. I was given it back after she died, and it sat in my cupboard for quite a few years until I could bring myself to open it.
Coming back to memories of the house, her bedroom has such a strange smell - old lady smell I guess. My grandparents had moved in with her and had lived there about 10 years by that point, and my nanna is still there now. That bedroom STILL has a faint hint of the exact same smell!

How lucky am I though, all of that, and I hadn't even talked about my granparents yet. Maybe later.

My kids are the same - all 4 grandparents and no signs of that changing at all - all fit and healthy. And one "big nanna" as well. Eldest would have had 3, but the other 2 died literaly the day before and day after she was born.
 
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Smell of onions frying
The smell of the coal fire
Cornflakes with warm milk (the cure of ALL ills)
Pink wafer biscuits
I remember when we moved down south when I was little - I was 5 and fine with the git long drive down the country, but as soon as we got there I burst into tears and said I miss my Nana as we'd moved so far away from her. I can still picture her little face. Still miss her
 

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