The House I returned to 1945

caveman1944's memory of 1st January 1938 - 31st December 1952

We moved into this house in 1938. In fact, mother took the one next door and for whatever reason, decided to swap.
I don't know the date of construction, but likely to be at the turn of the century.
When built, an area of sandstone was removed and the brick foundation built. This created a cellar which housed the gas meter and the coal. There was no bathroom. Water filtered through the sandstone and on going into it, the floor boards of the front parlour were seen to glisten with beads of water.
In the early postwar years, with only my mother in occupation there, I went in to check the property as she was away for two weeks, not being in good health and arthritic. The weather was cold and there was snow.
Looking into the front room I found the cork linoleum floor covering was totally destroyed, being in waves so to speak; this was owing to it absorbing water which has frozen, the expansion breaking up the lino.
I reported this to the local health poeple who sent an elderly inspector who stated he could find no damp. I tried again with the same result.
Now bear in mind that this house was constructed in this fashion on being built. In other words, it was unfit for human habitation from the word go.
A one off visit to the cellar of the house next door down during the bombing, revealed that the cellar there was 'tanked'.
That was what I returned to in October of 1945 when a couple of weeks earlier I had been in Rangoon, and with a history of years in the Far East.
The bedroom above the parlour was cold and damp and I occupied this, being in a double bed.
After a night or two, I was in a great sweat which saw me strip off my wet nightwear and compelled to move to the other side of the bed, it also being wet where I had lain. Days later, Malaria. I rose from my sickbed here in 1951 to marry.
This house is still there and occupied, in a Tranmere which is in the throes of demolition; a Tranmere which has seen four generations of family
pass by beneath the chimney of St Catherines Hospital.
I can appeciate a cellar if it is dry and well constructed, and used as a workshop
I had occupied one from birth in another road. It was not intended for
occupation though it had a fireplace and a kitchen attached, but this was a house which saw my family occupy cellar and attics, while cousins occupied a small living room and one bedroom, grandparents having the two bay windowed rooms.
It has a partly submerged window and let water in from the small front garden.
By and large, perhaps an end to them will be as well?

More memories from caveman1944

This memory was added 18th May 2009

Keywords: Liverpool Merseyside BBC Memoryshare House. Cellar. Tranmere. pre war post war.

Add a related memory

More memories from: