Alan & Hilda

The Post Office c1955
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Alan and Hilda Slater were my Uncle and Aunty and lived at the post office for many years and were quite possibly the funniest people I ever knew. Stanhill Post Office is reputedly haunted and Uncle Alan took every opportunity to use the story of the white lady to frighten unsuspecting guests. At one party there he pre-prepared a mock up of ladies' clothes, with wig stand complete with wig wired together, and hung on a coat hanger, when the party was in full swing he quietly placed the spoof spook in the toilet at the top of the stairs, the first person to go up after the placement was a particularly highly strung lady and her reaction was such that I am not sure if she ever recovered. I myself have slept there and have woken to find the light on and the lazy betty switch swinging over my head. The original house where James Hargreaves invented the Spinning Jenny is confined to the kitchen and cellar, the cellar being accessed from a trap door in what was possibly a larder. A wealthy American approached my aAnty Hilda with a blank cheque on many occasions after Alan's sad demise, however the money didn't seem important and she was very eccentric, she did sell in the end and now lives in sheltered accomodation, who she sold it to, I don't know! But what I do know is that I have many happy memories of Stanhill, Jackhouse, and Oswaldtwistle where I was born (at home at 64 Roe Greave Road), just up from Tomlinson's corner shop. Billy and Eric were best mates back then, they moved to Bermuda and my family left Oswaldtwistle back in 1966, but it will always be home to me.