Going back to roots!
Tomorrow my sister and I are going on a little expedition to visit our grandparents grave and other long departed family members. A week ago I wrote to the owners/occupiers of their (our grandparents) house and asked if it would be possible to see inside. I sent photocopies of photos of grandparents, when young and old, and a photo of our parents taken in the garden there. I also sent copies of a few old documents with the address on it, including the receipt for our parents wedding flowers. The owner rang me up yesterday and said we can come round. I am so excited! She also told me that the stained glass window that grandpa had put in specially is still there. I am so glad - it can't have been cheap. I havent been in that house since my father sold it when I was 12, after tenants had been in it for some years. I haven't stayed in it since I was 9. I wonder how it has changed. Grandma's mangle won't be in the kitchen, thats for sure!
I will blog about our day next week.
I will blog about our day next week.
posted by Faith @ 10:11 AM
12 Comments:
At May 18, 2007 10:24 AM ,
Elizabethd said...
You are so brave, I find that I can never go back, in case my memories are not what I thought they were.
At May 18, 2007 10:28 AM ,
ska said...
it'll be lovely. let us know what you find. I went back to the house i was brought up in recently- it was very small!
At May 18, 2007 10:37 AM ,
Faith said...
Elizabeth, I couldnt go back to my parents' family home. No way, the pain is too great. Couldnt bear to see what the new people had done. In my mind, it still belongs to us, as it did for nearly 50 years. I understand what you mean, but my grandparents place is different as I am not so attached to it.
At May 18, 2007 11:03 AM ,
@themill said...
How brave. One of the things about belonging to the agricultutral community is that homes rarely go outside the family, so they are always there. Only the generations change. Often, the houses stay scarily the same!
At May 18, 2007 11:21 AM ,
Exmoorjane said...
How wonderful! I would love to go back to the places I lived in when I was young....would be strange but powerful. Hope it goes well and will look forward to reading about it....
Janexx
At May 18, 2007 11:46 AM ,
WesterWitch/Headmistress said...
I hope you really enjoy it. When we lived in Holmbury - we had a visit each year - for three years from Alice. Alice grew up in our house. She was 100 when she first started to visit. She had some wonderful tales to tell and was such a character.
At May 18, 2007 12:04 PM ,
Suffolkmum said...
Looking forward to hearing about your visit. I would LOVE to see my grandparents house again.
At May 18, 2007 1:05 PM ,
Withy Brook said...
I do so hope that it is a good visit. My brother lives in the house we were born and brought up in and that is very different, but we have watched the changes and got used to them.
My grandparents house is a travesty of its former self. The garden first neglected and than overun by a great many dogs. The main hall ditto. Haven't seen the rest, but the odd broken window was visible. Made by heart bleed.
The house where G's father grew up was visited, with 2 of his children. As it is inside an Estate, we had to get permission to go in and then from the tennants, who were marvellous and let us go all over. I don't think G had ever been there before, so it was entirely a success.
Look forward to hearing how it all goes. One's roots are sooo important, aren't they?
At May 18, 2007 1:35 PM ,
annakarenin said...
My husband and I bought the cottage that my grandmother and her siblings were born and brought up in. MY biggest regret is that we sold it when we had to move. If these buy to let mortgages had been so easily available we would probably have held on to it.
Have a great day it is lovely that the window is still there and you will be able to see such a wonderful momento to your Grandad.
At May 18, 2007 3:08 PM ,
Pondside said...
Have a lovely day researching your way down memory lane, Faith. My sister and I did that on Cape Breton one year - the graveyards, the houses etc. I'm glad we did it. My uncle's widow still lives in the house in which my father and I went to from the hospital as babes - grandparents' house, obviously. Not a friendly auntie, so it is pretty well off limits - too bad.
At May 18, 2007 3:17 PM ,
The Country Craft Angel said...
I think that will be a lovely experience for you-how interesting.
Hope it goes ok for you and await your blog with interest.
warm wishes
x
At May 18, 2007 11:11 PM ,
CAMILLA said...
It will be quite an experience for you dear Faith,look forward to hearing about it when next you write.
Camilla.xx
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